Enemies of the Heir Beware -A
by Runawaybaby555
Summary: 24 years have passed since Voldemort was defeated, leaving plenty of time for a new Dark Lord to follow in his footsteps. Follow seventh years Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer as they set off on their mission to save the school, the wizarding world, and themselves. PLL/HP Crossover. All ships included, all FRIENDSHIPS included, and check my profile for the full description! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey you guys! I'M BACK! And with an entirely new story that I have to say, I'm actually pretty proud of. It is truly my opus magnum, and I really really hope you guys like it. First of all, it is LONG. It's going to be 60 chapters, more or less, so hold onto your socks. Second of all, it is a crossover between two of my favorite things ever: PLL and Harry Potter. This story takes place in the next generation of Harry Potter, so you'll see familiar characters such as Harry's children, Neville as a professor, McGonagall as headmistress, etc. And of course a whole lot of the characters from PLL, because that's what we're all here for, right? So this first chapter is a preface, and the first chapter should be posted later tonight. I'll put it this way: the sooner you all review, the faster I post ;) so if you enjoy this chapter, favorite, follow, review, do WHATEVER to let me know you like it! And if you want the full description, check my profile!**

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As I stalk down the dimly lit corridor of the wretched school, my mind wanders. It's all so perfect. That old hag Voldemort wasn't able to end up on top. But that doesn't mean I can't. See, his problem was that he did it all wrong. Everything was laid out in black and white, perfectly planned so that there was no room for error. Except there was plenty of room since he laid everything out in all the wrong _places_.

But that won't happen with me. I'm here to finish what he started. I'm here to make everything right.

I soon reach my destination, and pivot my feet so that I'm facing it. There's a spider web in the corner of the doorframe, carefully crafted by the rarest of black widows, and I can ever so faintly hear the sound of water dripping slowly from one of the rusty old faucets on the inside.

The girl's bathroom on the second floor. This is it.

With each step I take, the _drip, drip _of the faucet becomes more prominent, as well as the smell of sulfur. I ignore it as I approach the sink tap in question.

There it is. The snake, so carefully carved into the granite.

I open my mouth to mutter the sacred word, but something stops me in my tracks. A cry. A whimper. Almost… a whine?

"You're not seriously going to open up that god-awful place again, are you?"

I whip around. "_Myrtle!_"

There's a _whoosh_, and a nearly transparent figure swirls through the air effortlessly before landing swiftly in front of me. Moaning Myrtle, in all her glory. Same dark rimmed glasses, same mousy pigtails, and same tattered old robe. Same everything.

You'd think after having to float around forever, ghosts would learn to shake things up a bit.

I hold up my wand threateningly. "Not a word to anyone about this Myrtle. Got it?"

"Oh, what are you going to do, _kill me_?" she simpers. "So sad, that's already happened."

I roll my eyes. Again with the self-pity. These ghosts need to get it together.

After a minute of thought, a devilish grin spreads across my face. I lower my wand, and then take a generous step toward her hovering frame so that I'm directly in her face. "So," I begin breezily, "how are things, Myrtle?"

"Not too great, really," she complains quietly. That's all she does, see. Complain. There's always something wrong. She's predictable like that.

Which works in my favor.

"Really?" I cock my eyebrows up in mock surprise. She doesn't catch on to the fact that I'm teasing her, of course. She isn't known for being all too bright, despite being sorted into Ravenclaw. "How so? Could it have to do with a certain other ghost?" I look left, I look right. Then I lean forward secretly, sympathetically. "Is it Peeves?"

"Yes, now that you mention it!" she exclaims. "That old prankster. He upset me so much the other day, oh it was terrible. I simply wanted to kill myself! But then I realized that I'm – "

"Already dead, right," I say, irritated. I don't have much time. I need to skip to the point. Rip it off like a bandaid.

"Myrtle, once I get back up here, I have to bolt. But I'll come back. And I'll help you get back at Peeves. But only if you promise not to tell anyone about what I'm about to do."

"_Will_ you now?" she says, intrigued. "Why, that would be _marvelous_. Absolutely _marvelous_. I won't tell a soul, dead of alive." She holds up her fading grey hand to symbolize a scout's honor.

"Great," I say with a salute as I turn back around, getting ready to say it. Say the words that will change my life forever.

But before I can…

"What are we going to do?" Myrtle says excitedly in the background. "Are we going to scare his ghost pants off? Perhaps if we stole a Bludger from the Quidditch shed, we could – "

"Yeah, Myrtle, sure," I say, waving her off.

"Oh, I get it," she says, and I can hear her wilting behind me. "You're busy. Too busy for me. No one wants me. No one – "

"_Myrtle_," I say forcefully, turning around to face her now. Normally, I'd try to comfort her - or at least pretend to in order to get her to shut up - but I have to get to business. Tomorrow, eager witches and wizards will enter the building, and I have to get out of here before they come. Before they see me.

Myrtle finally shuts her mouth and sulks behind one of the stalls, crying softly. I turn back around, and am finally able to say it.

"_Open_."

At my command, the solid stone snakes slither apart, creating a clear path for me to slip into.

I manage to slide down gracefully to the bottom, or at least as gracefully as you _can_, and then reach into the pocket of my robe, pulling out the shattered remains of a stone that, while apart, would be insignificant, but together will hold so much power. I wave my wand up through the air, only to tap it against the cold, smooth surface.

"_Reparo_," I whisper, and the small shards glisten before coming together as a whole, forming a completely new stone altogether.

The Resurrection Stone.

It's amazing that no one has tried this before. But then again, they don't hold my power. And they will never hold the power that I will soon possess. For I will soon be the most powerful wizard of all time. I will be the next Dark Lord.

How do I know? It's obvious. Because I am the official next heir of Slytherin. Just like the great Tom Riddle before my time.

I press my lips to the stone, delivering a quick kiss for good luck. Not that I need it. I then release, holding it a mere centimeter away from my face, examining it. Admiring it.

"You know what to do, little guy," I whisper, before flipping it over three times in my hand, as procedure calls.

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**Alright, review review REVIEW so that you can get the next chapter as soon as possible!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I only got 2 reviews last chapter, which is making me pretty skeptical about posting this story, but I figured that you guys would want something with the actual CHARACTERS before you start reviewing. Understandable. So here you are with your first OFFICIAL chapter. Also, thank you to Sgdp1261 and ShadowsOnTheMoon for your reviews, ****_and_**** for your kind words toward my writing. I'm so happy you both are so excited to see how the story pans out. Now I just hope my delivery will ****_match_**** your excitement! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy, and please please PLEASE review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER :)**

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**September 1st**

Spencer Hastings kept her head held high as she strolled down the concrete sidewalk at King's Cross Station with her family in tow. Her hands were tightly gripped on the handles on the cart in front of her, which held her luggage that stretched so high she had to constantly crane her neck to the side to see in front of her.

She soon halted to a stop at her destination, right between Platform 9 and Platform 10. She turned around and pressed the edge of her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the blinding sunbeams, as she surveyed the scene around her. A small boy was perched on a wooden bench, his nimble fingers rapidly punching the keys on the Game Boy in his hands. A homeless man was sitting crisscross applesauce on an old beach towel, strumming chords on a guitar as he looked up with pleading eyes at each person who walked past him, begging them to drop some change into the baseball cap balanced upright in front of him.

In just a few minutes, Spencer would be leaving this world behind her for 9 full months.

"Spencer!"

Spencer jerked her head toward the source of her name being called, and a familiar perky brunette ran up to her. Spencer smiled. "Aria!"

She embraced the shorter girl, whose breath shortened at Spencer's tight, tight hug. "Spencer… can't… breathe…"

Spencer immediately let go at the sound of Aria wheezing, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I just missed you!"

"Oh god, me too," Aria agreed. "I can't deal with one more summer away from you guys. And how come I only received one owl from you?" she added as she playfully punched Spencer in the arm.

Spencer's mouth gaped open as she rubbed her arm, as though Aria had actually hurt her. "Excuse me," she said sarcastically. "I was a little busy doing an internship with the Ministry of Magic, in case you've forgotten!"

"How could I forget?" Aria said teasingly. "It's _all_ you could talk about at the end of last year!"

"And rightfully so!" a voice said proudly, and Aria and Spencer both whipped around toward the voice. Peter Hastings walked up to the girls with his esteemed wife, Veronica, and older daughter, Melissa, following close behind.

"Spencer earned her spot interning for the Ministry," Mr. Hastings as he propped his hand gracefully on Spencer's shoulder. "And she's damn lucky that the Ministry is actually in tact this time around; back when that scumbag Fudge was Minister, it was impossible for anyone to get any work done. The guy was clueless."

"He must've been!" Melissa piped in. Well, more like _butted_ in. "I mean, it took him an entire year to realize that the Dark Lord had returned! But it's not like that matters now, it's just important that Spencer was able to cherish such an opportunity! Man, I remember interning for Shacklebolt _my_ summer before seventh year. It was a dream."

"I know, Melissa," Spencer said exasperatedly, giving the impression that she'd heard this story multiple times. "And you were _so lucky_ and _blessed_ and _fortunate_ that the Ministry accepted your application in the first place. _You_, a measly witch in training at Hogwarts, to intern for _Kingsley Shacklebolt_. To get him _coffee_. To deliver _messages_ for him. And let's not forget how everyone was _so jealous_ that _the_ Melissa Hastings got to be within spitting distance of the Minister of Magic! I can only _hope_ to get the kind of attention that _you_ got when you were in _my_ position!"

Spencer said all of this in a singsong voice that made Aria snicker slightly, but the minute Melissa jerked her head in Aria's direction, shooting daggers at her with her eyes, Aria stopped dead in her tracks.

"Whatever," Melissa scoffed. "Let's just get your shit on the train." Folding her arms across her, she marched toward the stone pillar; dissolving into it completely the minute she made contact with it. For someone so intent on getting Spencer's _shit_ on the train, it was ironic that she hadn't even taken any with her.

Aria stared at the spot that Melissa was originally in, making a what's-her-problem face, before turning back to Spencer. "Well, _I_ for one am very proud of you!"

Spencer sighed. "Thank you," she said tiredly as she stared at her parents, who were now engaged in their own conversation, paying Spencer no mind. They hadn't seen the rift between Spencer and Melissa go down at all. They never did.

"Aria!" another voice shouted, and Aria and Spencer turned again. This time, approaching them was Aria's family; Ella and Byron Montgomery, her parents, and her little brother, Mike, who was going into his sixth year at Hogwarts.

"Really, Aria?" Mike said breathlessly as he used one arm to push _his_ cart of luggage, and his other arm to _pull_ Aria's cart of luggage. "You were just going to leave me with all of your stuff to carry?"

"C'mon Mike, lighten up," her dad chuckled, giving Mike's shoulder a firm pat while Mike wiped his brow clean of sweat. "It's your sister's last year at Hogwarts! She rules the halls now! Next year, _you_ can order some underclassman to do your dirty work."

"Well, I _technically_ can't do that," Aria said carefully as she shuffled her shoes unsurely. "Only prefects like Spencer can order people around!"

Spencer beamed slightly, happy that her title was being acknowledged, even if it didn't mean much to Aria's parents, who were muggles.

"Exactly," Mike said challengingly, dipping his head to the side affirmatively as he leaned against the cart and crossed one leg over the other, clearly trying to look mature and threatening. "So stop making me carry your stuff!"

Aria just laughed as she reached up to ruffle Mike's hair, something she knew he hated, as he instinctively tried to shove her away. "If you recall, Mikey, I never asked you to take my stuff! I just came over to see Spencer! I never said I wasn't coming back."

Mike stared at her in confusion, and then his shoulders visibly slumped as the realization hit him. Ella laughed lightly at her bickering children as she looked back up to Spencer. "It's good to see you, Spencer."

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Montgomery," Spencer said, flashing Ella a bright smile.

Ella returned a smile as well. "Where are Hanna and Emily? Have you girls seen them yet?"

"Ooh, not yet!" Aria said, suddenly attentive. "I bet they're already on the other side!"

"Alright, well I won't stop you," Ella said as she embraced her daughter warmly. "I'll miss you, baby."

"I'll miss you, too, Mom," Aria said lovingly as she hugged back. "I'll write to you!"

"Oh, that's okay," Ella said, pulling back as she crinkled her nose. "I can wait until Christmas. That owl scares me!"

"Who, Barney?" Spencer piped in, widening her eyes as she caressed the edge of the cage, resting on the rest of Aria's luggage, that belonged to Aria's snowy owl, Barney, who was affectionately pecking at Spencer's fingers through the holes in the cage. "The little guy wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Yeah," Aria pouted, crossing her arms and looking at her mother with beckoning eyes. "And what if I can't wait until Christmas?"

Ella giggled as she pulled Aria in one last time, planting a kiss on the side of her head. "I'm just kidding. I will tolerate that evil bird for one more year if it means hearing from you!"

Aria's parents gave goodbye hugs and kisses to both Aria and Mike before separating. Mike, without hesitation, grabbed his cart by the handles and dashed through the barrier as though he was running away from a fire.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Keep an eye on him, will you?" she called to Aria.

"I'll try!" Aria called back behind her, before turning to Spencer, an excited glint in her hazel eyes. "You ready?"

Spencer flashed a devious smile before turning toward the column. "Let's do this."

She leaned forward slightly, pressing her weight against her luggage cart, and sped full force toward the stone pillar in front of her. She closed her eyes; half expecting that she'd crash right into it, as she expected every year. But, just as always, she smoothly transported through, and when she opened her eyes, she faced a different world. There was no little boy on a wooden bench or homeless man playing guitar. Instead, there was a gangly boy with shaggy blonde hair leaning against his cart in a relaxed position as he adjusted his tie, proudly displaying his house colors: canary yellow and black for Hufflepuff. A few feet away from the gangly boy was a dark haired girl who was nervously rummaging through her bags, looking like she had forgotten something important on the other side of the barrier. And, most importantly, in front of _all_ of that was a steam train, dark as night, labeled _The Hogwarts Express_, and above the Hogwarts Express was a hanging sign that read _Platform 9 ¾._

Spencer smiled. This felt like home.

"Alright, sport!" Mr. Hastings said gruffly from behind Spencer, and Spencer tilted her head backwards, grumbling. Well, it _almost_ felt like home.

Peter stepped forward toward Spencer, reaching his hands out to straighten the collar on her polo. She lightheartedly slapped his hand away. "Dad," she giggled, "I'm going to be on a train for hours! I don't need to look all prim and proper."

"Maybe not," he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a grin plastered on his face. "But it never hurts! After all, you don't know who could be on that train." He delivered a well-timed wink right after he said this, probably thinking he was being funny, or at least encouraging.

Spencer offered up a weak smile. "Ooookay, dad."

Her dad let out a loud, and seemingly forced, guffaw as he wrapped an arm around her. "I just want this to be a good year for you, pumpkin!" he explained softly. "My seventh year was my favorite, and I want the same for you."

At this, Spencer felt herself actually smiling. She unraveled herself from her father's side hug so that she could fully wrap her arms around him. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, sweetheart!" he said as he pulled back. He then gave her a knowing look. "I expect an owl the _minute_ McGonagall changes her mind and you get promoted to Head Girl!"

"Dad…" Spencer whined, feeling the color rise to her cheeks.

"What? It's ridiculous that you didn't receive a letter giving you the title! I'm sure you have the highest average in the class!"

"That's not true," Spencer clarified, trying hard to be modest, but also trying to steer away from the conversation. "I'm sure there's a better student at the school than me. After all, McGonagall used to be the head of the _Gryffindor_ house! She probably chose someone from there."

"Oh, don't worry Spencer!" Melissa piped in – ahem, _butted_ in – again. "If _I_ can manage to get Head Girl _my_ last year, I bet you _probably_ have it in you to do the same! Of course, there's nothing wrong with being just a prefect..."

Spencer did her best to suppress an eye roll. She had to admit, Melissa was getting pretty good at sneaking her own personal life achievements into conversations that were focused solely on Spencer, but that didn't mean Spencer didn't see right through those attempts.

"Oh, leave the girl alone," Veronica said as she stepped forward and hugged Spencer. "I know you'll do great honey," she said warmly, and Spencer appreciatively hugged her back.

Finally, Veronica pulled away. "Knock 'em dead," she said with a wink – a more affectionate one than her father's – and an affirmative pat on both of Spencer's shoulders.

"Okay, I will!" Spencer grinned before grabbing her cart of luggage and taking it on the train.

The minute she got on the train and was about to put her stuff in the compartment above her, she felt the wind being knocked out of her as she was attacked from behind.

Instinctively, she reached for her wand, which was in the back pocket of her jeans, for self defense, but then relaxed as soon as she turned around to a familiar face. "Hanna!"

"Spence!" Hanna screamed, earning curious, and slightly appalled, looks from other students walking onto the train, as she attacked Spencer in a bear hug once again. Spencer felt another pair of arms wrap themselves around her, and when she managed to pry her eyes open, she noticed the flawless tan skin that she would recognize anywhere.

"Hey, Em!" she squeaked out, as the girls were suffocating her slightly. Realizing that if they squeezed any tighter, there would be no more Spencer to squeeze, Hanna and Emily pulled back.

"We were looking all over for you!" Hanna said exasperatedly. "Where were you?"

"We got held up in front of the barrier," Spencer explained as she plopped down on the couch by the window. "Saying goodbyes, yada-yada. You know the gist. You've done this seven times now!"

"I know," Hanna sighed as she plopped down next to Spencer. "There's just always this small part of me that worries one of us won't make it onto the train."

There was something in Hanna's tone that made Spencer's heart stop. She shot up from her repose and looked straight at Hanna with a fierce, as well as suspicious, look. "You can't think like that, Hanna. Remember? The Dark Lord that our parents told us stories about is _gone_. There's nothing to hurt us now."

"I know!" Hanna assured, her posture straightening. "I know that. But… I don't know. I always have this _feeling_."

"Wait a sec, guys…" Emily pointed out unsurely as she looked around the compartment. "Are we missing someone?"

All three girls looked around as well, until the realization hit all three of them. "Where's Aria?"

There was a sheer moment of pure panic that was shared between each of the girls, who were biting their nails in anticipation and worry, especially since Hanna was just talking about how she had a feeling one of them wouldn't be with her anymore, before the door to compartment slid open, and the petite brunette in question slid through the opening. She looked around at all three of the girls, 2 of whom she still had yet to interact with for a full 3 months, and flashed a wide, genuine grin. "What'd I miss?"

Hanna and Emily squealed as they shot up and attacked Aria in the same way that they had attacked Spencer just moments ago, flooding her with "How are you?"s and "I missed you!"s as Aria slowly become completely consumed by their embrace. Finally they let go, giving Aria a chance to actually breathe, before all plopping down on the couch. She then looked over to Spencer. "Shouldn't you be in the Prefect's carriage?"

"I'll go later," Spencer said carelessly as she swatted her hand through the air. "It's our last year riding this old guy; I wanna spend it with you guys!"

While the girls cooed in response, Spencer sunk back into her seat. Truthfully, she just wanted to hold off on finding out who _really_ got the position of Head Girl and Boy, but she also missed the girls, and she wanted to spend as much time with them as possible; she wanted to _enjoy_ herself for once.

"Alright, ladies," Hanna said authoritatively, yet also excitedly, as she pulled from behind her a black tote bag, constantly looking up at the girls to give teasing glances as she undid the buckles on the tote _slowly_ to add suspense. "We have a _long_ ride ahead of us, so I figured I should make it a little more bearable!"

She then pulled from the tote a handful of goodies: Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pastries, Licorice Wands, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Aria's eyes bulged out of her head as she snatched a Cauldron Cake straight out of Hanna's hand, staring at it intently, as though it was the most interesting, finely crafted piece of culinary goodness she would ever obtain. "The Honeydukes Express came around already? And I missed it?!"

Hanna gasped as she clamped her hand on Aria's mouth before she could say more. Aria stared down, nearly having to cross her eyes, at Hanna's hand, as though the more she stared, the more likely it was that Hanna would let go, but Hanna's hand remained at it's position on Aria's mouth. "No, it didn't come around yet," she whispered hastily. "But it was unattended when I got on the train, so I – "

"You _stole_ from it?!" Emily gasped, eyes as wide as Aria's now.

"When life gives you pumpkins, make pumpkin juice!" Hanna said simply, shrugging her shoulders as she removed her hand from Aria's mouth and sat back against the cushions. "And besides, do you know how much all of this would cost? 11 sickles, _at least_! Who has that kind of money?!"

Spencer just laughed as she grabbed a pack of Every Flavour Beans from Hanna's hands, opened them, and popped one in her mouth, watching as Hanna rambled on in an attempt to defend herself, and as Emily and Aria just shook their heads in disbelief, but also amazement. It was going to be a good year.

Or so she thought.

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**A side note: anyone else seeing the irony that the Montgomery parents are muggles, when Holly Marie Combs was on charmed? One of these days Ella will discover her magical powers (I'm HOPING she gets so mad at Byron that she freezes him, and that's how she figures it all out, lol)**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys were on FIRE review-wise last chapter, thank you so much! Now to respond to them all:**

**Emote Control: Everyone does know about how Harry defeated the Basilisk, yes. You'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out :) and Hanna was never on a diet, she eats fine now!  
Goldenheart11: Glad to know I made you happy! I've always seen Spencer as a Slytherin; it's not her smarts that define her for me, but her determination (and to quote Ali, "that fierce look she gets in her eyes when she has to know the answer, has to win the game." :)). And as for ****_Toby_****, it's interesting about his House sorting. I won't say why, but I'll just say his official House sorting isn't quite the end of it, and you'll understand why later. Thanks again for reading!  
LAs: The day that Ella freezes Byron will be the happiest day of my life haha. And yes, Aria will be in danger ;( Keep in mind, though, she's little, but she's ****_big!_**** Besides, she's not the only one who will be in danger ;)  
Sgdp1261: Oh my lord, is it good to see you again :D never apologize for reviewing three times in a row, because I LOVE it! I'm so glad the characters blend in well, that is exactly what my intention is; the last thing I want is for anything to be out of place. And a little Sparia ****_never_**** killed anybody, hehe ;) I will say though, you can expect friendships between ****_each_**** of the girls in here! As for your theory... that's a very interesting theory, I'll give you that. Not to mention it would make sense. However, the Resurrection stone only works for a certain amount of time, so how would the Basilisk be able to stay around long enough to do it's work? I'm not saying no, and I'm not saying yes, because I want you to keep brainstorming theories, but I will say this: the person who opened the Chamber is powerful, and the person/thing that they brought back, they have ****_complete_**** control over.  
ThisPurplePoet: Well, the girls' house sortings are on my profile if you wanted to check it out; they're seventh years, so they won't be sorted again, haha. And it ****_is_**** interesting that Spencer isn't Head Girl, and you can bet everything you own that she is secretly ****_very_**** angered by it ;) such a Slytherin  
Ava B: Harry's kids won't be too big of a part of it, but you'll meet one or two of them. You'll meet a few other of the old characters' kids as well! And haha, that would be cool if James could be a love interest of one of the girls, but unfortunately all the ships are canon ships.  
Erica: Thank you! Believe me, I'll keep posting ;)  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: You've been very patient, and for that of course I'm gonna keep posting! No worries! Plus I'd rather not be hunted down... and haha with the plus symbol it makes a ****_lot_**** more sense. Thank you! And you're right on the dot for Spencer, she's all about ambition. And if Ella did that, I would bow down to her in glory. What a champ!**

**And now for your chapter! Enjoy, and please keep up your amazing reviewing streak!**

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"Young witches and wizards, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Headmistress McGonagall proclaimed as she stood up at the Head Table, grazing over the Great Hall as young, eager students gazed up at her with such attentiveness, it was as though each one was her private genie; their wish was her command.

McGonagall took her pointer finger and nudged her spectacles further up her nose. "And returning witches and wizards, welcome back!" she began warmly. "I look forward to seeing all of your bright and shining faces again as we move along through another school year; one filled with learning, with growth…" She then narrowed her eyes toward an older boy at the end of the Gryffindor table with slightly turned up brown hair and brooding green eyes. "And hopefully _not_ filled with tomfoolery and harsh pranks on your fellow students… or _teachers_, like say… _Dr. Filibuster's Fireworks in the Greenhouse!_"

"That was one time!" the boy exclaimed, flicking his arm, which was wrapped around a lithe girl with a conspicuous glass eye, through the air in defense.

McGonagall just shook her head. "It's one time too many when Professor Longbottom's office looks like the inside of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Mr. Kahn!"

Professor Neville Longbottom, the Herbology professor, hung his head as his cheeks reddened, exposing his shame for everyone in the hall to see, and the students only whooped and hollered louder at the sight of their embarrassed professor. The boy, who went by Noel, just laughed harder as his girlfriend, Jenna, stroked his chest and giggled in his ear, amazed that her boyfriend could be so inexplicably charming.

Emily, who was sitting across from them by assignment, made a face as she turned her head in the other direction, trying her hardest not to spew out the freshly squeezed pumpkin juice that she had just downed at the sight of the odd pair.

"Simmer down!" McGonagall exclaimed sternly, tapping her wand on the edge of the granite table. "And Ms. Marshall, nice try. Go back to your original house!"

Jenna rolled her glass eye as she got up from the bench and stalked purposefully back over to the Slytherin table. McGonagall let out a sigh of relief before clapping her hands twice and standing straight and tall over the students.

"Now, let the feasting begin!"

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Aria bit down into her bread roll as her eyes wandered around the hall, landing on one specific figure and freezing there. Over at the Head Table, where all the professors sat, was a younger professor. Much younger, in fact, to the point that, with his wispy brown hair, soft blue eyes, and slightly angular bone structure, he stood out among the other professors.

But most importantly, he stood out to Aria. Not just with his ever present boyish charm, but also with his pure heart that he showed every time he was with her. And she was so glad that she was able to call him hers.

Ezra Fitz, or Professor Fitz, the History of Magic professor, as his students called him, caught Aria staring and delivered a quick, yet meaningful, wink before diving back into his chicken and into his conversation with Professor Longbottom. It was short and simple, but also sweet; enough to make Aria's heart grow wings.

"God, you are just so _smitten_!"

Aria jumped at the voice, but then eased up as the bounce of long, curled blonde hair came into view. Aria laughed. "You're not even supposed to be here!"

"Aw, fuck it," Hanna said carelessly as she flopped her hand up in the air lightly. She reached over to Aria's plate and snagged a carrot, chomping on it loudly.

"What's McGonagall gonna do, take 10 points from Hufflepuff?" she muttered through her chewing. "No one cares about the House Cup anymore anyway!"

A dark laugh slithered through the air and crawled into each of the girls' ears, making the hair on the back of their necks stick straight up. They whipped around to find Scorpius Malfoy over at the Slytherin table, nearly falling out of his chair in laughter.

"That's rich, Marin," he said as soon as he managed to compose himself. He sat up straighter, staring at the girls, an evil glint in his dark blue eyes.

Hanna stood up from the table and walked up to Malfoy, glaring at him as she shifted her weight to one hip, trying to look as intimidating as possible. "What the hell does that mean?"

He shrugged halfheartedly as he reached for his plate to grab a potato fry and carefully place it on his tongue, never once taking his eyes off of Hanna. "Just stereotypical Hufflepuff. Getting by in school, not giving a shit about anything..."

"And I suppose you think you're going to amount to something some day, Malfoy?" Aria asked sarcastically in defense of Hanna, who was not backing down. "I bet you actually think you'll rule the wizarding world or some shit."

"Spot on there, Montgomery. I clearly have a greater chance than this one right here!" Scorpius said bluntly as he shoved another potato fry in his mouth, giving Hanna a sideways glance. "Although, I will admit - it's going to be fun watching you graze the surface of the bottom while I mount on top."

"I don't know about that Malfoy. It's hard being on top, especially for you since you'd be fresh out of asses to kiss."

All three turned to the source of the heroic voice. A lanky boy wearing a signature black robe and a blue and bronze Ravenclaw tie stepped forward, flicking his head to the side to remove his long brown hair from his face, keeping it from getting into his deep caramel eyes. He stared menacingly at Scorpius, who defeatedly cowered further into his seat, returning to his dinner, as he tried to hide the color that was creeping to his cheeks, muttering something along the lines of, "My father _will_ hear about this!"

Hanna's clear blue eyes lit up with joy as she ran forward, attacking Caleb in a passionate kiss. "I was wondering when I'd get to see you again," she whispered seductively as she pulled away.

He smiled as he took her face in his hands. "God, I've missed you."

She smiled back as she took his hand from her face and held it in her own hand, rubbing it affectionately with the fleshiest part of her thumb, and then brought him back to the table with Aria.

"You're just in time!" Hanna said excitedly as she plopped down at the table, dragging Caleb down with her. "I was just about to pester Aria about - "

"Hanna!" Aria warned, nervously glancing around her at surrounding students, casually enjoying their dinners, who could most likely _easily_ overhear Hanna, especially when her voice was increasing in volume the way it did whenever Hanna got excited about something.

Hanna just giggled as she lowered her voice at Aria's request. "I think he's even wearing that tie you got him from Hogsmeade last year!"

"A Hogsmeade tie?" Caleb said in a voice that was a mix of curiosity and amazement as he looked up to the Head Table. Sure enough, tied along Ezra's neck was a wine colored tie that extended down to the middle of his chest, pinkish miniature house elves scattered all along it. Caleb nodded his head thoughtfully. "Impressive. Hey, how about you snag me one of those bad boys?" he added as he playfully nudged Hanna in the arm.

"Yeah right, do you know how expensive those are?" Hanna said roughly as she clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them. After a minute, she gasped, a realization dawning over her, and opened her mouth to say something, but Aria immediately stopped her.

"_No_, you are not going to _steal_ from Hogsmeade!"

Before Hanna could protest, a lean, elegant figure that they all recognized as Spencer glided into the seat next to Hanna. They turned to laugh at her somewhat sneaky entrance, but were stopped dead in their tracks by the sight of her paler complexion.

"Outside," she whispered forcefully. "Now."

Something in her tone of voice sparked Aria and Hanna's brains to life as they bolted from their seats on the benches to follow Spencer. "One of you, get Emily," Spencer said nervously.

"I'll get her," Aria said calmly, hoping that her mellow energy would transfer to Spencer, who was shaking vigorously now with the knowledge of something terrible.

"Hey, what's going on?" Caleb asked, abruptly standing along with the girls as Aria and Spencer ran off. Hanna whipped around toward him, unprepared since she had no legitimate information to give him. She looked toward Spencer, who was halfway out of the Great Hall, sending a look over Caleb's shoulder, silently asking if he could come along. They made a promise the minute they first started going out that they would be completely honest, that they wouldn't keep secrets from each other, and she didn't want to break that promise.

But by the way Spencer was rapidly shaking her head, it looked like she would have to hold off on that promise.

"I don't know, but I'll be right back," she whispered, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before running off.

* * *

**Side note: Remember, Aria was a first year while Ezra was a seventh year. These two have had their eyes on each other for quite a long time. In the story, they got together before he found out he got the teaching position XD and I know you all want to find out what happens next, so if you're good and review a ****_bunch_****, I'll post the next chapter later tonight :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovelies! So glad you guys are liking it so far, and believe me, there is much MUCH more to come, so hold onto your socks!**

**Sgdp1261: Ezra is indeed one beautiful human. I had to include him! What story can survive without Aria and Ezra together? (no story) And yes, Spencer is notoriously known for getting into sticky situations, no matter what time of day it is. But hey, that's why we love her, right? ;) And I'm sorry, I couldn't update late last night. Something came up, and before I knew it it was, like, midnight :( but I have the chapter for you now!  
LAs: Read on and you'll find out what Spencer got! And you will ****_definitely_**** see a friendship between Aria and Caleb in this story. It's one of my favorite parts of this story since Aria is my favorite girl character (well, favorite ****_liar_****. My favorite girl character is Mona Vanderjesus) and Caleb is my favorite guy character, and whenever they interact on the show, they have this hilariously snarky relationship, and hopefully I do a good job depicting it. And as for Noel and Scorpius... they'll continue their battle for biggest jerk. As for who wins, that's up to you to decide!  
Erica: Well, it says in my description on my profile the girls' houses, but I'll address it here as well: Hanna is a Hufflepuff, Emily is a Gryffindor, Aria is a Ravenclaw, and Spencer is a Slytherin. And please, thank you for ****_reading_**** this!  
Ava B: That's an interesting theory, and I wouldn't be surprised since he ****_is_**** Malfoy's son... and I like responding to every review! It feels like I'm talking to you guys, you know?  
Goldenheart11: You'll get ****_plenty_**** of Spoby in this story. The next chapter is entirely Spoby, as a matter of fact! And thank you so much for saying that! Caleb is so much fun to write for because he's just such a great character, so I'm happy I'm doing him, and the liars, justice. And heh... I really do watch the show a lot. Maybe a little ****_too_**** much. But if it means getting this story to be the best it can be, then I'll watch it even more!**

**I've gotten a few reviews asking for the girls' houses, and I wanna put them to rest: in the longer description on my profile, you'll find the girls' houses. Look there. Thanks! :)**

**Alright, next chapter. This is where things kinda ****_start_**** to heat up, but this is literally just the beginning. So many more moments to come! But for now, enjoy this chapter, and review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know if you like it or not!**

* * *

"Spencer, what is this about?" Emily asked as she exited the Great Hall at Aria's nervous, yet confused, request, saying Spencer needed them.

Spencer stood before them, constantly switching between opening her mouth to give an answer and closing it, only to stare at her shoes, a bad habit of hers that she would get into when she wanted to avoid a situation.

"Spencer," Aria said evenly, "you're starting to scare me."

"Yeah, me too," Hanna said as she crinkled her nose in disgust. "It's creepy."

"Hanna!" Emily and Aria scolded as they turned sharply toward Hanna, who just threw her hands up in front of her in a what-do-you-want-me-to-say fashion.

"Guys, chill," Spencer finally said. "I... I brought you guys out here to show you something."

With a heaving gulp, she tentatively reached into the pocket of her robe and felt around a little, before pulling out a small object that was wrapped in a napkin. The other three girls just stared at it, unsure of what they were looking at, until Spencer removed the napkin, and the girls gasped, feeling their heartbeats speed up.

"Is that..." Emily began, unable to utter another sound for fear that she would throw up.

Spencer weakly nodded her head. "Yeah, Em. It's a fang."

"Where the hell did you get a fang from?" Hanna asked bluntly.

"I have no idea!" Spencer whispered, keeping her voice low as she gave a wary look in the direction of the entrance to the Great Hall. Someone could interrupt their conversation at any given moment, and they needed to be careful. "It was in my shepherd's pie."

"_What_?!"

"Yeah, that's what_ I _said!" Spencer exclaimed exasperatedly, before lowering her voice once more. "If anyone at my table got anything similar in their pie, they didn't show it. But what about you guys? Did you find anything suspicious?"

Aria shook head, her raven locks whipping across her face in the process. "I can't eat shepherd's pie since it has meat in it. I had lentil soup instead."

"Yeah, and I've already gotten the guidelines for dieting restrictions for Quidditch," Emily said. "Shepherd's pie unfortunately is _not_ on the very small list of things I can actually eat."

"I just think it's gross," Hanna offered up.

"Spence, I bet it was just some mishap in the kitchen," Aria assured. "I read an article in _The Daily Prophet_ on how house elves have been slacking lately."

"I doubt this was a mishap though," Spencer whispered as she turned the fang, still engulfed in the napkin, over in her hands, revealing three red jagged slashes on the whole of the other side of the it.

Hanna looked perplexed. "What is that?"

Spencer gulped. "It's an 'A', whatever the hell that means."

"'A' could mean anything," Aria said softly, thoughtfully, with just a tinge of fear in her voice. "It's a freakin' letter of the alphabet!"

"So this was on purpose?" Emily said apprehensively, suddenly worried for her friend. All three of the girls were.

Aria bent forward, examining the fang a little more closely. But that was the closest she was going to get, because the minute she raised her hand to touch it, Spencer smacked it away. "Are you insane?!"

Aria stepped back, startled. "Wha - "

"Aria, you don't know where this came from. It could be poisonous!"

"Poisonous?"

"It was in my _dinner_," Spencer pointed out. "Why else would someone put that in there? It probably has some of venom on it that's going to slowly and painfully kill me!"

"Or it might not," Aria said matter-of-factly, a little disoriented at how quickly Spencer was jumping to conclusions. Spencer was not one who was known for thinking things through or thinking rationally, despite how smart she was, yet neither of the girls had gotten used to her constant accusations yet. If someone got a higher grade on a test than she did, she would accuse them of using dark magic to figure out the answers. If she couldn't find an article of clothing while getting dressed, she would accuse someone of stealing it to snag some of her DNA so that they could do horrible things with it. And here Spencer was, accusing someone right off the bat to be killing her? It seemed a little out there.

Aria sighed before continuing. "It could just be someone playing a prank on you! This could be fake, you know."

Spencer paused, and then looked to the ceiling, deep in thought. Truthfully that hadn't crossed her mind; the fang being _fake_.

Emily just shrugged. "It would make more sense. Why would someone go to the trouble of scaring you like that with something as rare and unattainable as a _fang_ when they can go right down the street and buy a fake one?"

"Wait, you can just _buy_ fake fangs?" Hanna asked, her eyes bulging.

"Yeah," Aria said casually. "They're everywhere. I used to have a pair of earrings that looked just like what Spencer's holding. But then my owl ate them..."

"Umm, guys?" Spencer said in a catty manner, bringing the girls' attention back to her once again. "Can we go back to the _possibly poisonous object_ in the palm of my hand?"

"Aria is probably right," Hanna assured. "It was probably just a stupid prank. Someone was just trying to scare you."

"Well, okay, but who would do that?" Spencer challenged.

Emily pressed her hand to her head, which was pounding furiously. "One question at a time guys."

"Okay," Spencer finally said, taking a deep breath. "I guess it could be fake, but I don't know for sure. I need to do some research to find out whether this thing is real or not. And maybe where it comes from! Maybe if I learn more about all of that, I'll know who did this to me."

"Yeah, and then you'll know how serious this is," Aria agreed.

"They don't open up the library until after classes start, though," Emily pointed out.

"I have to wait an entire _day_?" Spencer screeched, eyes ready to pop out of their sockets and scurry away. Already, her hair was starting to curl at the ends, and if the girls looked closely enough, they could pinpoint a tiny vein that was bulging at the tip of her forehead, just under her hairline. She was freaking out.

"Hey." Hanna reached for Spencer's forearm comfortingly. "Weren't you the one who said to me in the train car that all dark magic is gone? Remember that?"

"No, I said that the Dark Lord himself is gone," Spencer corrected, snatching her arm away, only to immediately regret it at seeing Hanna's hurt expression.

"But he took all dark magic with him," Hanna pointed out, crossing her arms protectively over herself. Spencer opened her mouth to say that this wasn't necessarily true, but immediately closed it. She was too tired to get into an argument right now.

Spencer finally lowered her head. "Okay," she whispered, defeated. "I'll just suck it up and wait. But when I do go, I don't wanna go by myself. Can one of you come with me?"

The girls stood at bay, looking conflicted and a little uncomfortable. "Qudditch tryouts for returning players are tomorrow," Emily confessed.

"I'm kinda not allowed in the library," Hanna admitted sheepishly. "Madam Pince has hated me ever since she caught me making out with Caleb in the Restricted Section."

Normally the girls would have laughed at something like this, but the atmosphere was so solemn and thick with tension that a lighthearted laugh would stick out like a sore thumb. Spencer tried to hide her disappointment and growing fear at the first two declines, but then showed a speck of hope in her brown eyes as she turned to Aria.

Aria chewed on the inside of her cheek to the point that one side of her face was completely sunken in. On the last day of school last year, she and Ezra had promised to meet up in their secret hiding place the first day that classes started. She felt bad having to cancel since they hadn't seen each other in 3 months, but Spencer needed her right now. Ezra would have to wait.

Aria reached out for Spencer's hand and gave it a loving squeeze. "I'll go with you."

"Thank you," Spencer said appreciatively as she sighed with relief, throwing her head back dramatically. But when she brought it back down, her face hardened again. "Can we keep this between us, guys? Please?"

Emily and Aria both muttered that of course they'd keep it a secret, but Hanna looked unsure. "Caleb's out there waiting for an explanation. I don't know how he'll react when I don't tell him anything."

"I'd think he'd be understanding," Emily reasoned. "I mean, it's none of his business."

"Yeah, but we don't keep secrets," Hanna said simply. "We never have. And he'll probably get concerned and think that I'm hiding something from him."

"... You are hiding something from him..." Aria pointed out candidly, only to earn a bitter glance from Hanna. But then, Hanna's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Aria's arm eagerly.

"You can just lie to him for me!"

"Me? Why me?!" Aria cried, shocked.

Hanna just gave Aria the most knowing look she could, as though it was all so simple and so obvious, that how could Aria NOT get it? "Because," she began, "you're going to see him tonight in the Ravenclaw dorms, so he'll probably come up to you and ask about it. Also, you're ten times better of a liar than I am!"

"I really don't thi - "

"_Gotta go_!" Hanna said abruptly as she paced over to the door to the common room, throwing a "Be careful tonight, Spence!" over her shoulder in the process.

Emily, Aria, and Spencer stared at each other awkwardly for another moment, wondering what their next move should be. As soon as they realized that there was nothing left to talk about, they gave their goodbyes and parted ways.

* * *

**Side note: How many of you are familiar with AfterEllen? It's a website that recaps all these different shows, one of them being PLL, and it's HILARIOUS. Aria's fang earrings are a small shoutout to the AfterEllen readers/the legend Heather Hogan herself, because let's face it; we all know Aria has that article of jewelry SOMEWHERE in her repertoire :) Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**You all are so wonderful, thank you so much for the reviews/keep it up! It's doing _wonders_ for my self esteem!**

**erica: I can see where you're coming from, but a Ravenclaw likes learning so that they can build up their knowledge simply for the ****_sake_**** of knowledge; the way I see it, Spencer doesn't learn because of that. She keeps pushing and memorizing more material and trying so, so hard so that she can ****_get_**** somewhere. She wants to be the best, and that's what puts her in Slytherin. And as for the fang, it has a greater significance, wait and see ;) glad I could throw in something you weren't expecting!  
LAs: glad to know we have something in common! And pssh Spencer's always freaked out; sometimes I'm convinced she's actually insane, what with her crazy eyes and all that jazz (and the fact that she was in a _mental institution_ for 72 hours). And Ezra is total badger status; ****_such_**** a Hufflepuff! That's the house I would put him in back when he was at Hogwarts, he has the heart for it :) glad you're enjoying the story!  
Emote Control: hah. Good one. Glad you're liking it! There's more to come, so stay tuned ;)  
Sgdp1261: Haha, no it's not mean for you to laugh at it. It basically just _came_ to me, and once the story pans out you'll see how it's relevant. But yes, Spencer _would_ freak out over something as small as that. It's, like, her _forte!_ And knowing Aria, she'd probably get the matching jewelry set, throw in a bracelet, and stud a pair of _boots_ with the bicuspids, and _still_ look gorgeous. It's a gift. And it's a few chapters away, but Sparia in the library will not disappoint ;)  
Ava B: Thank you so much! Heather Hogan is basically God, so to say that I wrote something that she would put in her recaps makes my heart grow wings. And it really is something Hanna would do, right? Knowing her, she probably dragged him into it, as well. "Who says books need to be for reading? I don't, and I turned out fine! Need proof?" *starts makeout sesh* and hmm, it's possible! I think I remember doing that at some point, but I try to avoid wikia now because everyone is kinda mean on it :/ on here, everyone's so much nicer!  
Goldenheart11: I guess you could say that, because Team Sparia is one of the main reasons I watch the show, so you're gonna see a lot of them in this story as well :D and Emily is basically known for her swimming, so I figured it only made sense that she'd be a Quidditch player! And Quidditch/the Quidditch team is where a _lot_ of stuff goes down. Glad I could make you laugh, and thank you so much once again for the kind words! Also, I forgot to mention in my last response for you: you are in no way boring me. I _live_ for long reviews, make them as long as you please!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Since you reviewed two chapters, I'm gonna reply to both of your reviews: haha, that's the perfect way to describe Hanna and Aria. 'I'm going to do the thing!' 'No, you are _not_ going to do the thing!' You'll see more one-on-one friendships between the girls, as well as more of all of the girls together. Hopefully you like it! And haha, that part with Aria this chapter was one of my favorite parts, because of the fang _and_ because of how their just babbling on about fake fangs, and then Spencer just denies them at the end. Thank you so much, I'm so glad my interactions are true. That's all I'm asking for at this point! And definitely check it out, unless you don't like being unconscious from laughter majority of the day ;)**

**Here's the next chapter, which is all Spoby, all the time, so Spoby fans better sit down for this/make sure you're at least an arm's length away from the closest person to you, because it's gonna be a swoonfest up in here.**

* * *

Later that night, when everyone had been dismissed to their dorms, Spencer sat by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room, staring at the mysterious fang under the room's naturally green-tinted light from the depths of the Lake water outside the windows, as she rolled it over repetitively in her hands, the peculiar 'A' carving coming into view, then disappearing completely, before coming back into view when she rotated it again. She sunk further into the armchair as she stared as seriously and intently as possible at it, trying to discern some sort of clue. But the longer she stared, the more tired out her brain got, and the further she got from learning the actual answer.

There was a _creak_ heard as a door opened, and then a padding of feet against the domestic carpet. Startled, Spencer hastily stuffed the fang, still wrapped tightly in its napkin, deep into the cushion, and out of sight, before a tall boy with spiky sandy brown hair and the clearest, bluest eyes walked in.

She smiled as she unravelled her long legs, which were crossed and hanging over the arm of her chair, stood up, and leisured her way over to her boyfriend, Toby Cavanaugh. "Hey you."

Toby walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking into her loving brown orbs. "Everything okay? You seem jumpy."

Spencer knew she was jumpy. It had only been a few hours, but she could feel the stress building up and up to the point that her hair was starting to fall out. She hadn't eaten the rest of her dinner, so she was also starving, meaning she could add stomach pains to the list of many things wrong with her.

But since she was Spencer, and she always planned ahead, she was able to come up with a list of excuses for when someone questioned why she was so jittery. "I've just missed you," she whispered, a hint of seduction and lust in her voice to distract Toby.

It was working.

There was a twinkle in his eyes as he kissed her chastely on the forehead. "Well, I'm here now," he said. "And, how about I ease some of that tension? Shoulder rub?"

Spencer let out a low giggle. "Boy, Jenna would _love_ to hear about that."

"Jenna is asleep," he said deviously as he took Spencer's hand and led her over to the armchair that she was previously sitting on. "Besides, I doubt she'd catch very much. Her glass eye kinda shuts down at night. It's weird."

Spencer gawked, and then slapped him playfully on the arm, causing him to laugh giddily like a small child. "Don't talk about your sister like that!"

"You just don't want me to talk about her like that because you're afraid she'll come after you in the middle of the night for revenge," he teased.

"That's ridiculous," she argued, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I'm not scared of her."

He just chuckled at her denial as he sat in the spot on the chair that she was just in, pulling her down with him as he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't lay a finger on you."

She positioned herself on his lap and closed her eyes. "Thank you. Now, you promised me a shoulder rub?" she added in, opening her eyes as a cheeky grin spread across her face.

He cocked his head to the side, narrowing his crystal blue eyes playfully. "You drive a hard bargain, Hastings... but ok. Turn around."

She gleefully positioned herself so that her back was facing him, and he placed his hands at the top of her shoulders, kneading his fingers into her skin gracefully, trying to get all of the knots out. And there were a lot of knots.

"You're a little tense," he said incredulously, causing Spencer to give a half-hearted laugh.

"Yeah, I was born that way," she answered manifestly as she closed her eyes again, feeling herself slowly start to relax as Toby's hands made their way down her spine. She then felt him lift her thin pajama shirt up off of her skin as he planted supple kisses on her back, making a trail downward. She moaned softly, but after a few seconds she couldn't take it. She whipped herself around to embrace him fully, kissing him passionately as her hands caressed his sculpted frame, and his hers.

But as she kept kissing him, her mind wandered. She couldn't stop thinking about that fang that was in her soup. Was someone just messing with her, or were they out for blood? What could she have possibly done to make someone go after her like that? She was Spencer Hastings; straight O student, prefect, and darling of every professor. Sure, she probably annoyed the other students greatly by how good she was at everything, but that shouldn't be a reason to want to _hurt_ her...

Toby noticed Spencer slowly start to disconnect from the kiss, and parted his lips from hers as he studied her, carefully.

"Why'd you stop?" she questioned curiously, although she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Talk to me, Spence," he said softly. "It's been three months."

"Yeah..." she said carefully, "Which is why I'm trying to make up for lost time right now!" She moved in to kiss him again, but he pulled back. She blinked up at him, truly confused toward why he was being like this.

"Is something wrong?" he asked genuinely. "You seem... distant."

"I know," she sighed as she slumped further into his lap, interlocking her fingers with his. She averted her eyes toward the window as the green light in the room turned dark, the giant squid outside casting a shadow over the room as he swam by. "I just... I don't know. I feel like this year is going to bring more stress than usual."

At this he laughed lightly. "Spencer, we're seventh years. This should be our best year!"

She just gave him a knowing look, basically daring him to admit that he hadn't been paying attention all along. "Clearly you don't know my family. There is no best year for me. Just before I got on the train they were pestering me to send them an owl once I got Head Girl!"

"Oh! So you're upset about not getting Head Girl?"

"Well, no. But..." She racked her brain for a clever explanation, once without holes or reasons to believe otherwise. She could think of none.

Finally, she let out a heaving sigh as she slouched again. _Sure, why not?_ "Yeah, maybe just a little."

"Spencer," he said affectionately as he leaned down to give her a peck on the lips. "You have enough on your plate already this year. I know you well enough to know that you're gonna be taking some really hard classes. You don't need to be Head Girl! You don't need the extra responsibility."

"Yes I do," she mumbled bitterly. "It's just something else that Melissa can hold over my head."

At this, he gave a devious grin, his infamous blue eye sparkling. "You have something that Melissa doesn't, and you can hold that over her head forever."

Spencer smiled, realizing what he was implying. "And what would that be?"

He just kept smiling as he leaned in, putting his face right up next to her ear. "Me," he whispered, sending shivers throughout her body. "And besides, I think McGonagall must've had way too much butterbeer when she made that decision. Andrew Campbell and _Mona Vanderwaal_?"

Spencer let out a genuine giggle at this as she pulled back. "Aww c'mon, Andrew is one of the hardest working students in our year. And Mona is _brilliant_."

"So? Neither one of them is a _Hastings_!" Toby said confidently, evoking another giggle out of Spencer. He smiled proudly, happy that he was able to make her laugh, until she stopped laughing to open her mouth as wide as it could go to let out a low, loud yawn. Then Toby's features contorted to ones of concern.

"Spencer, you're exhausted," he said. "Why don't you go up to the dorm and get some sleep? It's late."

Spencer just groaned as she rolled over in Toby's lap to stare at the fireplace. The cackle of the burning flames and the smell of burnt wood and ashes soothed her somehow. They made her feel safe. And Toby made her feel safe.

"Can you carry me up?" she asked hopefully, giving him a playfully pleading look as she batted her eyelashes cutely and cuddled further into his hard, yet welcoming, chest, hoping to share just a few more glorious moments with him, only to earn a soft chuckle of denial.

"You know I can't do that," he said bashfully as he turned away from her and looked into the fireplace. "The girl's dorms are off limits for guys, remember? Last time I tried to visit you, that stupid staircase flattened and I slid on my ass all the way to the bottom!"

Now Spencer was laughing heartily. Oh how she wished she could have seen that. But the minute she opened her mouth to laugh, it quickly dissolved into another yawn.

Now Spencer's eyes were drooping, and her mind was shutting down, so she gave in. But if she was going to sleep, she didn't want to leave this spot.

Snuggling into Toby's chest, she mumbled sleepily, "Then can we just stay down here for a while?"

Toby looked down at her lovingly, and amusingly, before nodding his head as he bent down to lightly kiss hers. "Of course. Sweet dreams."

Spencer smiled into his chest, feeling safe and warm in his embrace, as she finally drifted to sleep, with Toby holding her close the entire time.

* * *

**Side note: anyone able to get the reference in this chapter? ;) It's one of my favorite Spoby scenes, and it has the insanely talented Lianna La Havas singing her heart out in the background. Review with your guesses!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I wanna take this time to congratulate Goldenheart11, Ava B, and LAs for getting the reference! It was the Spoby makeout scene in 3x02 :) Now for your reviews:**

**ShadowsOnTheMoon: I must say, I think your review for my last chapter I received faster than I've received any review for any of my stories... ever. So thank you for that! And thank you for your kind words as well! As much as I'm annoyed with Spoby now, I ****_love_**** vintage Spoby, so whenever I write for them, I just try to keep the old Spoby in mind :) and as for showing the soft side of Slytherins, that's probably because I myself have a soft spot for Slytherins! According to JK Rowling, I belong in Slytherin, so I guess it comes naturally. And dysfunctional is the ****_perfect_**** word to describe the girls. That's how I see them, anyway, because they're all so so different, yet their bond and friendship just ****_works_****. They're that family next door that the neighbors have to constantly yell at to stop screaming during meals ;) Again, I'm so happy you're enjoying this story; it was a pleasure to write, and the fact that it's such a pleasure for you to read really warms my heart XD  
PrettyWitchyVamp: From the first sentence, I can already tell that you're a super cool person (I think it was the 'not Twilight' that sold it for me, haha). I'm happy to bring the two together for your reading pleasure! And oh yes, you can bet your bottom dollars that there will be an Ezria centric chapter in the future. It won't be for several chapters, but you can expect it ;) I absolutely adore them, too! And well, this story takes place 24 years after Voldemort was defeated, making it pretty far into the future, so I would say it's based on the books as a whole; the Chamber being opened is just a plot point, not any specific reference to the second book. You will see similar themes from the second book, though! Keep your eyes peeled is all I'm saying ;) and please, you are never wasting my time. I'm happy to read whatever you have to say!  
erica: Since the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons, it's basically underground; underneath the lake. That's why the squid will sometimes swim by the windows, and that's what gives the common room it's greenish hue. I'm a Slytherin myself (even though I deny it all the time since I see myself as more of a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff), so thanks to the glory that is Pottermore, I know this :D and yes, Jenna indeed has a glass eye. There's no way Jenna could be included in any story without _some_ sort of eye issue! Thanks again, and enjoy the rest!  
Goldenheart11: Ugh, I can't even describe how happy your review made me. Thank you! It's always a good day when you reduce someone to a giggling little school girl XD and isn't it such a great scene? And the song is one of my favorites, too. And there is no other word to describe Mona other than perfect (well, actually there is: brilliant, crazy, breathtaking, GOD, bow-down-bitches fantastic, etc.) and you're gonna get a front row seat to all of Spencer's rage toward Mona for getting that title. It's another aspect of this story that I'm looking forward to ;) and wow, my first marriage proposal! Absolutely, when/where's the wedding?  
Sgdp1261: Hah, that was clever what you did there. Not judging at all, have you _seen_ him? He's a serious piece of eye candy. And interesting that you think it's a good fit for him... stay tuned is all I'm saying ;) and yes, I love Mona. She's power crazy, and I _adore_ it!  
Ava B: People on wikia are _so_ mean, especially to Aria! It's like, leave the poor girl alone! Whatever, I don't go on there anymore. I don't wanna surround myself with those people.  
LAs: Yay! SO happy you agree with the houses of all the characters; I was getting pretty nervous! But in my mind, it makes sense. Emily may be labeled the weakest link, but she's as brave as they come. Hanna is loyal as ever, as shown with her mother. Aria, I've always perceived her to be insanely clever and witty. Need proof? Makeshift shiv. Any questions? Good. Spencer is all ambition, all determination, all Slytherin. And Caleb? He's a freakin' _hacker!_ Enough said. You'll see more people come into the story, and hopefully you'll agree with what houses they go into :)  
Shaynezo: I'm on the fence with them. I _love_ vintage Spoby, but I'm not the biggest fan of them right now, especially during/after 3B. But writing for them is helping me fall back in love with them! Since you don't like Spoby, who's your favorite couple? Who knows, maybe they'll be included in here :) and thanks again for reading!**

**Now, this next chapter is one of my favorite chapters because, as mentioned before when replying to a review, it involves the interaction/friendship between two of my favorite characters; one that hasn't been seen all too often on the show! So enjoy, and again, REVIEW! Much love!**

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Aria walked down the cold stone steps of the girls' dormitory in the Ravenclaw Tower in a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, in Ravenclaw colors of course, with a bottle of water and a book under her arm. It was way too cold up in the dorms, so she felt she'd be better off curling up in front of the fireplace to read. Sure enough, as soon as she trotted into the dome-ceilinged common room, the moon from outside shining through the windows hovering over them, illuminating the midnight-blue carpet, she was greeted with a warm, welcoming atmosphere as students sat around in sweats and blankets, as well as stood up leaning against bookcases, chatting happily about their summers and what they looked forward to in the new school year, and the fire on the other side of the room burned bright, illuminating the room with an earthen glow.

She was making her way over to one of the couches when she stopped short. In her line of sight, in the far corner of the common room, she spotted Caleb leaning against the wall, looking uncomfortable as he made conversation with Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, two twin boys who were fourth years. Everyone tried to avoid them as much as possible; for one, their mother was Luna Lovegood Scamander, the rather odd writer for _The Quibbler_ who had a section all to herself, where she always charted her findings of rare and unusual creatures, some of which were just downright disturbing; and for another, the boys took an awful lot from their mother, from their white-blonde hair to their innocent green eyes, and while they could be sweet, it was very hard not to walk out of a conversation with them without nursing a headache. And from the looks of it, Caleb was itching to rub his sore temples as Lysander droned on about something Aria couldn't quite catch.

Aria felt nervous all of a sudden. She still hadn't come up with a convincing lie yet for Hanna, and if Caleb spotted her she knew he would come over, and she _knew_ he would ask her about it.

_Maybe if I sit down quietly, he won't even know I'm here,_ Aria tried to convince herself. She carefully and slowly perched herself down on the couch. Caleb hadn't seen her. She decided to use her smaller stature to her advantage as she curled up against the pillow with her head tucked in, making sure she was out of sight, without completely looking like she was hiding.

She waited a minute, and it seemed as though Caleb hadn't caught her. So she let herself relax a little as she opened her book to her marked page and nonchalantly took a sip of her water.

At least, she was _aiming_ to nonchalantly sip her water.

The minute her lips met the mouth of the bottle, the liquid went down the wrong pipe, and Aria lurched forward, coughing and sputtering and overall just making a scene. Everyone's eyes turned toward her, and she put up her hand to signal that she was fine and for them to continue with whatever they were doing. Eventually, she managed to suppress her coughing, but she still felt a tickle in the back of her throat, and was reduced to sporadically coughing and choking, one cough at a time, trying her hardest to remain quiet and calm. Once she had quieted completely, she sat back against the cushion and let out a deep breath. By now everyone's heads were turned back to their previous endeavors, but Aria knew what to expect when she felt the weight shift on the other side of the couch.

She turned and gave a weak smile. "Hey, Caleb," she croaked.

"You okay?" Caleb asked, laughing slightly, yet still having a touch of concern in his voice.

Aria affirmatively cleared her throat before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine! Just something caught in my throat."

He sneakily looked over his shoulder for a second before turning back to her with a sly grin on his face. "I know this sounds horrible, but I'm kinda glad that happened. I needed a reason to escape!"

At this, Aria had to laugh. "Oh, c'mon! How bad could it have been?"

He gave a small shrug. "I guess it could've been worse," he admitted. "But..."

"What?"

He wrinkled his forehead in perplexion. "What are nargles?"

Aria was caught a little off guard by this question. "No idea..." she answered honestly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Aria let out a giggle before turning the page in her book, thinking she could smoothly transition out of the conversation and into her reading so that Caleb would go away. But, just as she feared, he pressed his fingers to the top of the book and lowered it so that he could see her face.

"What was going on today that you guys had to leave the Great Hall?"

Great. Hanna was going to kill her.

"Umm..." Aria began, trying to come up with a good excuse. "It was nothing."

Caleb just gave her a look. One that told Aria she better not play games with him. Aria flicked her hands out to the side, indicating that she actually had nothing.

"Spencer just needed us for something," she said. It wasn't exactly a lie, it just wasn't the _whole_ truth. Obviously Caleb knew that rule, because he cocked his eyebrows upward, indicating he wanted more information.

"Caleb, it's private. It's something Spencer doesn't want people knowing. If it were Hanna herself she'd probably tell you, but it's not."

Caleb sighed and leaned back against the cushion. "Maybe you're right, but I'm not used to Hanna keeping things from me. Even if it's for someone else," he added when Aria opened her mouth to argue. He scooted further on the couch to her, looking her in the eyes, his brown Bambi eyes asking her for a way to understand how he was feeling.

"Every summer, it's miserable being away from her. It's not like I have a stable home full of people who love me to go back to. She's all I have."

Aria nodded her head in understanding as she gave Caleb's knee a comforting rub. When Caleb was a baby, his mother was killed in a car crash by muggles who were driving under the influence, and his dad abandoned him when he decided he couldn't take care of him, and left him on the doorstep of Caleb's aunt and uncle, who were horrible to Caleb and slammed doors in his face when they were tired of looking at him. Caleb would always run away from home up until he was eleven and admitted into Hogwarts, and now, during the summer, he would still run away, with nothing more than a grilled cheese sandwich, some English pounds, and a change of clothes on his back. He ran away to get away from it all; to think. And yet, despite the peace it brought him, each time he always found himself going back.

Caleb was not well known for how quickly he warmed up to people. One was considered incredibly lucky if he let them in, and he held a grudge especially against muggles. It took forever for him to warm up to even Aria after learning she was a muggle-born, but after being in the same house with her for six years and getting to know her for her bubbly personality and occasional sassiness, he saw a great confident and friend in her.

But somehow, he had found a way to let Hanna in faster than he had let anyone in before. There was just something about her that drew him in; made him want to know more about her; made him want HER to know more about HIM. He trusted her so much, and it hurt to know that she might not trust him in the same way.

"Most of my life I've felt alone," he explained. "Even when I was with people. That is until I met her."

"You just need to find a way to connect again," Aria suggested comfortingly. "She loves you, Caleb. She loves _and_ trusts you."

"I know we need to connect again," he agreed, before looking at her and breaking out into a mischievous grin. "Which is why I'm going to sneak into the Hufflepuff Basement."

"Again?" Aria exclaimed, widening her eyes as an incredulous laugh escaped her.

Caleb laughed along with her. "Yeah, why not?"

"Do you really want me to relive all of the times you've almost gotten caught last year?" Aria said obviously. "Or the year before that? _Or_ the year before - "

"Please." Caleb waved her off as he put his arms up and behind his head. "That was when I was _young_. I'm a seventh year now. I've _grown_. _Blossomed_. All those kinks in my original plans to sneak off? Not now. Nope."

"What makes this year so different from past years?"

"For one," he began confidently, "I've planned ahead. Learned all the passcodes to every single coded private area in this place. Guarded with a statue, with a painting, whatever. You name it."

"That's ridiculous. How could you possibly have done that?"

"I have my ways," Caleb said with a playful wink. Caleb was known around Hogwarts as, "the magical hacker". He could break through any of the magical barriers around the school with just a flick of his wand, meaning he could apparate within the walls of Hogwarts, and he could even connect any fireplace around the school to the Floo Network. And now he had managed to rig into the magical system so that he could get the passwords to each private place. People around the school paid him serious money to rig their wands so that they could do the same, but in the past he had gotten sloppy. The staff at Hogwarts was constantly suspicious of someone breaking the barriers, but they could never catch on to who it was.

"Okay, so you found out the passwords," Aria challenged. "Then what? You could get expelled for sneaking out at night. Just because you can sneak into different houses without rigging a bunch of stuff doesn't mean you won't get caught doing it."

"Yes it does," he said coyly, leaning in further. "Because I have a secret weapon this time."

"I'm intrigued," Aria joked as she positioned herself on the couch so that she was fully facing Caleb.

Caleb gave the room a quick once over to make sure no one was listening. A jet-black haired boy had his arm extended as he pressed his hand against the wall and chatted up a pretty girl. A couple of third years were perched on the floor, smiling giddily as they played around with Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats, a known product from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. And a fifth year lay curled up in an armchair, passed out, with her tabby cat sprawled across her stomach. None of them were paying Aria or Caleb any mind.

Caleb turned back to Aria, the mischievous glint that was once only in his smile now spreading all the way up to his eyes. "You know James Potter?"

"How could I not?" Aria said unmistakably. "He's one of the _Potters_. He's Harry Potter's son!"

"Yeah, well, since he's Harry Potter's son, he has something that can help me," Caleb said quietly, purposefully staying silent to leave room for Aria to guess what James could possibly have.

It took a minute, but finally Aria snapped her fingers and gasped, the realization coming to her. "NO!"

"Yep!" Caleb said smugly.

"The Invisibility Cloak?" Aria whispered.

"In all its glory," Caleb grinned. He really had thought all of this out. It was his seventh, and final, year at Hogwarts, and he wanted to make it right. So to do that, he wanted to spend as much time with Hanna as possible. He wanted to be happy, and he was happiest when he was with her.

Aria just sat there with her mouth gaping open. "That... that is just - "

"Brilliant? I know," Caleb said, his eyes brightening.

"I was going to say _ridiculous_, but whatever floats your boat," Aria said with a shrug.

"Aww, c'mon, you know it's great," Caleb pried, nudging Aria's arm toyingly. "I bet you'd change your mind if I told you I'd let you use it to sneak off with Ezra at night..."

Aria stared ahead, away from Caleb, before finally breaking out into a small smile. "Okay, _maybe_ I would change my mind at that," she admitted.

Caleb pumped his fist in the air in victory before sitting back against the couch. He then sat up slightly, rubbing his arms as the temperature in the room dropped. People were starting to go up to bed, so the opening and closing of the door was letting some of the cold air from the stairwell into the common room. "Hey, can you put another log in the fire?"

"Sure," Aria complied as she stood up. She felt better now knowing that she didn't have to make up some random, ridiculous lie for Hanna that she knew Caleb would end up not believing, and chances are would take it out on Hanna, which Aria would feel terrible about in the end.

She kneeled down by the fire as she reached for a log. But just as she was about to place it in the flames...

A cackle, a sputter, and a small _poof_ were heard all at once, but then they were heard again, steadily getting louder as the pattern repeated itself. Aria stood back up, startled, but then she let out a small scream when the fire exploded altogether. Caleb jumped up and pulled her out of the way as the fire came to life, growing taller and wider by the second, extending out of the fireplace like an advancing blockade.

Eventually, the blaze stopped growing, and then calmed down to the point that it was at a normal height. Aria and Caleb froze, and looked around. They were the only ones left in the common room. It looked like everyone else had fled.

Aria got up and took a hesitant step forward, but then fell right back down when a large _pop_ was heard. Along with the explosive sound, something went catapulting out of the fire and shot across the room over to the wall on the other side.

Aria counted to 50, and when, by that time, the fire remained dormant, she gathered the courage to get up and look at what had just flown across the room. She walked steadily toward it, the echo that her footsteps made worsening the torment for her. The object was small and cream colored, and it looked a lot like...

Aria felt her heart sink to her shoes. Afraid to touch it, she kicked the fang over, and sure enough, there was the scarlet red 'A' that she had been hoping wouldn't appear.

Aria gulped mournfully. _No way_, she thought to herself. _No. It can't be._

"What's going on?" Caleb asked wearily behind her.

Aria looked at him, not sure how to answer, but the fear in her eyes said it all.

"I have no idea."

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**Side Note: I always liked the friendship between Caleb and Aria. When they interact, they have this hilariously snarky, gossipy relationship, and I had the advantage of being able to show more of that since they're in the same house in my story :D Caleb's my favorite guy character, so I wanted to add some developments by having him have a friendship with one of the girls. Also, Aria choking? That happened to me in real life, like, the day that I wrote this chapter haha. I was trying to avoid someone while riding the bus, but I tried to sip some water and then just started choking randomly. The person didn't end up seeing me (somehow), but it was a sight to see. Also, lot of references in this chapter. Try and catch 'em all! (Pokemon) Review with your guesses! Remember, they can be from both HP ****_and_**** PLL ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I just realized I forgot to ask: what did you guys think of the last episode? I thought it was EXCELLENT! First of all, Spencer was on top of her game in terms of one-liners. Second of all, HALEB! Third of all, Ezra made me want to curl up into a ball and cry for hours when he found out about Malcolm not being his. I was talking about someone with this, and we agree that what makes it so heartbreaking is that he has literally lost everything: his wealth, his job, and Aria, all for this 7-year-old that he can't even call his. "You let me fall in love with him." My heart DX and fourth: Mona. Always Mona. That scene with Mrs. Hastings and Mona was like a litter of puppies yapping at a cat, and the cat just rolling its eyes (I got that off of twitter, from a lovely #BooRadleyVanCullen participant). Mona is the cat of course :) and of course, the fact that Wren was there was an ultimate plus! 10 stars, man, 10 stars.**

**Alright, people have been anxious to know what the references are, so I'm gonna list them here:**

**"What are nargles?" "No idea." 5th movie. Luna and everyone, and then Harry and Cho.  
"... slammed doors in his face when they were tired of looking at him." 3x23 when Caleb is screaming at his dad (such a great scene, btw)  
"Most of my life I've felt alone, even when I was with people. That is, until I met her." 2x01 (Congrats to GoldenHeart11 and Ava B for getting this one!)  
And shout out to Sgdp1261 and Ava B for catching the Pokemon reference in the side note at the end of the chapter :) that wasn't even intentional, but it was hilarious that you guys pointed it out!**

**And now your reviews (of which majority were incredibly long, and I LOVED! Thank you all so much!):**

**PrettyWitchyVamp: Oh... my god. Your review made me DIE it was so funny. You had me at friendship bracelets and "Caleb Rivers. #1 Ezria Shipper" (although he'll have to get through the actual biggest Ezria shipper on the show, Spencer Hastings, to earn that title). I'm glad you liked how their friendship was being portrayed! You'll see a lot more of it in future chapters. And haha, Aria is quite the opposite of nonchalant, but then again so am I so who am I to judge? And ooh, rough. Well, it's not your fault; it's that rascal Harry Potter's fault for naming his kid after his deceased father! So much confusion. The kids really should just go by their middle names, shouldn't they? Thank you so much for all your kind words once again!  
GoldenHeart11: Wow, thank you so much! I do love me some Caleb, so it's good to know he's being portrayed well in this story :) I love when the liars interact with each other's spouses as well, which is why I was so excited when Caleb and Aria ended up in the same house! It was just so PERFECT!  
Sgdp1261: I love Caleb so much and I'm gonna be so sad when he leaves the show for Ravenswood :( and agreed about magic being so spontaneous and awesome. That's why we've all wished we were wizards at some point, right? And hahaha, that made me laugh so much. Yes, Aria can do that... OR she can just trick Hanna into stealing it for her! And I did see that necklace! I didn't think of this story though; I was thinking of how cool it was that I was wearing basically the same outfit to work today! Except it was a jean shirt and a red tank, but a similar necklace! And you will never bore me, I love long reviews! Make them as long as you please, because I'm gonna read it all anyway!  
erica: thanks! Hope you like this upcoming chapter as well!**  
**UngluckLiebhaber: Wow! That makes me so happy to hear that a non-Harry Potter fan likes this! Luna's one of my favorites as well. She's definitely in my top 5; right up there with Hermoine, Sirius Black, Professor McGonagall, and TONKS! That would've been cool, but since the parents aren't really in this story, it'd be a waste of Ella Piper Montgomery's amazing powers. Better to save us from that grief and just let her not have powers at all. But Aria's just like any old Hermoine Granger: she's not gonna let her Muggleborn-ness define her. She's just as much of a wizard as everyone else, and a damn good one at that ;) however, that doesn't mean people aren't going to bring it up, so you'll get to see how that affects her in the long run! And this story is AU, so they all just grew up in the UK (probably the colonies, though, where I heard there are some people without accents), and all grew up going to Hogwarts. Does that make sense?  
Titanium Wolf: WOW that is a pen name. I love it! Thank you so much! And you'll find out all about Emily's love life in this upcoming chapter ;)  
Ava B: Huh, I never thought of that Harry Potter line! It would make sense, though. I see a lot of similarities between Harry and Caleb in terms of their backgrounds :) and right? I think Aria and Caleb are also very similar personality-wise; both are incredibly sassy, smart, and protective of the people that matter in their lives, so I guess that's why their friendship works so well!  
LAs: I think that after Spencer, she's the smartest! I can think of several instances where she's come up with an insanely cool way to get into or out of a situation. And as for your last question... you just have to keep reading! :)**

**Now, before I move onto this next chapter (MAN these ANs are getting long), I have a question for you all: most of you seem to be relatively big Potterheads, so I wanna know what house y'all are in! Just so I can get a feel for all of my lovely readers :) so with that, please review with what house you were sorted into/consider yourself to be sorted into!****  
**

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"Alright, wizards. 5 minutes, and we're starting!"

It was the next day, and MacKenzie Albright, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, was standing in the middle of the field with a sea of red and gold surrounding him as students stretched out their muscles and polished their brooms, preparing for tryouts. Emily stood at the far end of the field, directly under the three goal posts, tying her hair back with a scrunchie as she took slow, calming breaths. She had been on the team since she was a first year, so she knew she had no reason to be nervous, but that message didn't send on to the rapidly fluttering butterflies in her stomach. It didn't stop the synapses in her brain from working overtime, trying to quell her nervous energy.

"Look alive, Fields!" an energetic voice shouted through the air. Emily's head snapped up, as did her hand when she saw the Golden Snitch zip towards her. With her hand in midair, she managed to catch it dead on. She gripped the Snitch proudly as she raised her head to take in the sight of the thrower. "Nice try, Paige."

Paige McCullers threw her brown hair behind her left shoulder as she jumped down from a step high up in the bleachers, her robe flowing majestically behind her, landing right on the balls of her feet as she did so. She walked over to Emily, a wide, smitten grin gracing every inch of her face as she held her broom out beside her. "Who am I kidding?" she said with a shrug, admiration clear in her tone. "I can't get you. You're too good."

Emily felt the color start to rise to her olive cheeks. "It's only because I've been practicing with my dad all summer," she confessed.

"Really, now?" Paige said, clearly amused. "Looks like someone's really gunning for Seeker this year?"

Emily just crossed her arms. "I guess so," she said passively.

Paige just gave her a confused look. "Em, you've gotten it every year in the past. You don't have to beat yourself up over it when you know you're going to get it."

"But I _don't_ know..." Emily said unsurely.

"Why do you doubt yourself?" Paige asked, in pure awe of how her girlfriend could be so humble and oblivious to how amazing she was, especially at Quidditch.

Emily glanced over to the other side of the field, where a smaller girl with dark brown hair and forest green eyes was in a V-sit position on the ground, bending forward to reach her toes and stretch out her back. Paige followed her gaze, and then sighed in understanding. "Emily," she said compassionately as she reached over for her chin, pressing the tip of her finger against it as she turned Emily's head toward her. "Do you really think you're going to lose to Lily Potter?"

"I don't know," Emily said as she looked downward, suddenly finding the hem of her robe very interesting.

"Em, she's a Keeper. She's always been!"

"Yeah, but she tries out for Seeker every year," Emily argued, looking back over to Lily, who had gotten off of the ground and was now stretching her arms over her head.

"But she's a fourth year," Paige reasoned. "She's got nothing on you!"

"She's damn good, though," Emily admitted as she leaned against one of the goal posts, throwing her head back with a sigh.

"Well, yeah, of course she's good," Paige agreed. "She wouldn't have made the team if she wasn't. I mean, look at who her dad is! Harry Potter? The kid who caught the Snitch in his mouth when he was just a _first_ year?"

"How could I forget?" Emily mumbled bitterly. She remembered it all from the updated version of _Quidditch Through the Ages_, which Madam Hooch used to make them read in Flying class. Before Harry Potter had saved the wizarding world, he was a talented Quidditch player, and some even said he could've easily caught the Snitch in his _sleep_. Emily already knew all of this. But why was Paige telling her this now?

As though Paige could read Emily's mind, she slinkily took a step toward her, taking her time in sliding her arms along Emily's toned waistline to meet at the small of her back, interlocking her fingers into each other in order to will herself to never let go. Emily felt a shiver run up her spine as Paige leaned in toward Emily's ear.

"Just because she has the talent, doesn't mean she has the drive," she purred. "But I know for a _fact_ that you have both."

Her voice was calming, loving, sexy even. Emily felt herself go weak in the knees, but Paige held her up, her face a mere inch from hers. The two just stood there, in as close quarters as they could possibly be, relishing in each other's company.

It was perfect. Paige was perfect. And the moment was nothing but perfect. Until...

"Fields! McCullers!" MacKenzie shouted. "Get your asses over here, we're about to start!"

Paige and Emily broke apart, slightly disoriented, and even a little annoyed, that they had to be interrupted. Emily turned toward Paige nervously. "Kiss for good luck?"

Paige threw her head back in laughter before bringing it down to give Emily a quick, yet meaningful, peck on the lips. "Not that you'll need it," she mumbled once she pulled away, before darting off to be with the rest of the people trying out to be Beaters.

Emily stared longingly after her, until she reluctantly started walking over to the Seekers.

MacKenzie did a few drills with the people trying out for each position. He tested the strength of the Beaters first by throwing Bludgers at them, testing how they could fend them off and how far they could hit them (Paige hit each one, sending it straight toward the other side of the field). He had the Chasers pass the Quaffle back and forth to each other, taking turns throwing it towards the goals, which were guarded by whichever Keeper was in position. Lily Potter was up last, and managed to block all except for one. Emily had a feeling her missing one was her version of not trying in order to make an even bigger impression when she tried for Seeker. Sure enough, when Lily was _actually_ up for Seeker, MacKenzie tested their reflexes, throwing the Snitch at each of them to see if they could catch it, and Lily was able to snatch even the hardest throws. Emily was able to catch them, too, but she faltered on the last one.

"Don't worry about it, you did great!" Paige said encouragingly as she came up to a seemingly anxious Emily afterward, giving her a pat on the back. Emily smiled, but she still wasn't sure. Could this be the year that Lily finally beat her?

"Alright, last on the list: Scrimmage!" MacKenzie shouted. He went through the list of people, sorting them into separate teams. When he got to Emily's name, he looked up.

"Fields, I'm going to put you as a Seeker up against Potter," he commanded before walking away, not sticking around to see Emily's heart skip a beat, before promptly rising into her throat.

Lily turned to Emily, a warm smile on her face. "Good luck!" she said genuinely, extending her hand for Emily to shake.

"Thanks," Emily said uneasily as she shook it. "You, too."

Lily was a nice girl, sure, but Emily couldn't help but feel like she was obliviously full of herself. It was understandable, since it was probably thrust upon her with who her parents were, not to mention her older brothers, James and Albus, full of charm and wit and popularity that stretched on forever. But if she didn't even realize it, which seemed to be the case, then Emily supposed it was okay. Still, she didn't feel comfortable with the idea of Lily getting Seeker when Emily had worked so hard to get it.

"Line up," MacKenzie commanded. "Brooms at the ready. And... GO!"

All fourteen people shot up into the air into their positions. Emily remained stationary on the side of the field once she had flown up, a technique she always used to guarantee that she was out of the way of the other players so that she could keep an eye out for the Snitch without meeting any obstacles.

The game stretched on, with Paige and Emily's team neck and neck with the other team at 50:40, the other team being in the lead. Emily squinted, looking over to the other side of the field to see Lily keeping her eyes open for the Snitch as well. Emily suddenly got nervous; what if she was closer to the Snitch than Emily was? Apprehensively, Emily started to make her way over to where Lily was. Until she saw it.

There, in the middle of the field, wings rapidly beating like those of a hummingbird, was the Golden Snitch.

Emily looked over, to see if Lily had caught sight of it yet. But Lily's eyes were in a completely different direction entirely. She hadn't seen it at all.

_I have to be careful about this,_ Emily thought strategically. _I need to grab it before she sees it. I can't be too late._

In one quick movement, Emily made her way over to the middle of the field, ready to grab the Snitch. But right when she thought she had it...

"Emily, look out!" Paige shouted, and when Emily looked in her direction, a Bludger was coming at her full force. Emily quickly darted out of the way as the Bludger narrowly missed her, but when she looked to where the Snitch was, she found the spot empty.

Emily whipped around on her broom, and saw the Snitch about 20 feet from where it originally was. Unfortunately, about 20 feet from _that_, she saw Lily Potter, zooming full force toward the Snitch.

Emily leapt into action, diving toward the Snitch as fast as she could on her old Cleansweep Twenty-Six broom, but Lily had the Firebolt (she always talked about how she had to keep it in mint condition since it belonged to her father). Even though it was almost thirty years old, the Firebolt was a timeless classic that had stayed in the business up to this day; at whatever speed Emily could go at, Lily could go twice as fast. The two girls were nearly at the Snitch, simultaneously reaching out for it, but the Snitch had a mind of its own. As soon as they met in the middle, the Snitch zipped away before either could grasp it.

Without even stopping to take a breath, Emily went after it, neck and neck with Lily, who had paused for a second to instinctively collect herself, but then sped up after Emily, nearly catching up to her. They raced against each other, getting closer and closer to the Snitch, until...

"And that's the game! Fields wins!" MacKenzie shouted, pumping his fist in the air as everyone on Emily's team cheered. Everyone lowered to the ground, congratulating each other on a terrific evaluation session and wishing each other luck for when the positions were decided.

"You did it!" Paige exclaimed, dropping her broom to the ground as she ran over to Emily, kissing her passionately once she reached her.

They eventually pulled apart, and Emily beamed at Paige as she held the Snitch in her hand. "I bet it was that good luck kiss you gave me," Emily gushed, poking Paige in the shoulder.

"Nah." Paige brushed off the comment as she waved her hand through the air. "It was all you!"

They traded off compliments on each others performances as they walked over to the circle, laughing and smiling, until they were brutally interrupted.

Lily Potter grabbed the Snitch out of Emily's hands forcefully before throwing it as far and as hard as she could all the way to the other side of the field.

"Hey!" Emily shouted, watching as the Snitch bounced onto the grass several yards away.

Paige turned her back to the Snitch as she turned to Lily. "What's your problem?" she snapped. "No one likes a sore loser!"

"I'm not a sore loser, I was saving her life!" Lily snapped back. "Were you two really too _busy_ to see that it was _smoking_?"

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked, confusion and frustration clear in her voice. Lily pointed to where the Snitch was, like she had something to prove, and Emily and Paige whipped around to look at it. It was emitting smoke, which was steadily rising up into the air, high above the heads of the students.

"Everybody duck!" MacKenzie shouted, and all of the players dropped to the ground without even thinking about it. Just as they had all reached the ground, there was a loud _boom_, echoing throughout the entire field.

Emily waited 10 seconds before slowly rising from the ground. She held out her hand to Paige, who grabbed it and got up off the ground as well. MacKenzie rose from the ground, too, and, like a true Gryffindor, started to walk toward the site of the explosion. Emily followed, as did Paige, but not without looking back to give Lily a this-isn't-over glare.

MacKenzie picked the singed Snitch up off of the ground, studying it intently. He then groaned loudly. "It's burnt!" he exclaimed angrily. "The Snitch is burnt!"

Emily gawked, in shock. That had _never_ happened before. The Snitch didn't just explode like that.

He then looked up, shooting daggers at Emily, as though the whole thing was her fault. He walked over to her, smacking the Snitch into her hand. "Here," he said shortly. "You can have it now."

Emily stared down at the Snitch, truly confused. Paige looked at it, too, until Emily looked up at Paige in fear. "What do we do now?" she said worriedly.

"Relax," Paige said mellowly, trying to calm Emily down. "They can get a new Snitch. And it's not like the whole thing is your fault."

"Albright sure is going out of his way to make it seem like it is," Emily muttered bitterly. Paige sighed, at a loss for words. She really didn't know how to deal with a situation like this, so she just gave Emily a firm pat on the shoulder and walked away, claiming she'd see what she could do.

Emily stared after her, but then shook her head, looking back down at the Snitch. It's polished, golden texture had turned to a singed grey-black. But there was something else that was off about it.

Right along the side of the Snitch, Emily noticed a small crack. She ran her index finger along it, trying to find some sort of opening, before it immediately popped open, revealing something inside.

Emily felt her blood run cold as her eyes were met with the sight of a fang, an identical fang to the one that was in Spencer's shepherd's pie, with a dark red 'A' carved into it.

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**Side note: These two... I can't even describe how fun this chapter was to write. I had a lot of inspiration since I wrote it at the beginning of season 4, when there was that AMAZING Paily scene in the pilot :D And Lily Potter! She isn't a bitch at all, Emily and Paige just see her how Ron saw Harry sometimes; just kinda CAUGHT UP in it. It helps that we never got a feel for Lily's personality, so hopefully I don't get accused of making her OOC or anything like that. But anyway, this is for all the Paily fans out there. Hope you enjoyed! And if you did, REVIEW! If you didn't... REVIEW ANYWAY! Much love to all of you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, I'm seeing people from all around the castle in these reviews! All four houses have come up, and that's wonderful for me; glad I've got a pretty diverse community reading my story XD for those of you who are curious, I am a Slytherin according to Pottermore, and I am finally starting to accept that that is the best thing ever. Now, for your reviews:**

**ShadowsOnTheMoon: I hadn't even read the username, but by the first sentence I could tell it was you! Yes, my Paily heart was certainly shattered during 4x09, but chin up! Sure, they probably won't be together after they graduate, but I'm pretty sure it'll be season 26 and these girls will still be in high school. Spencer said it herself! "Newsflash. Honey. None of us are graduating." You're a lot like me, a little bit of each house (although my Gryffindor bravery comes and goes as it pleases... and it hardly ever pleases).  
Goldenheart11: Boy, your consistent reviewing is making my day! You're hilarious! And I have mixed feelings about Paily. On the one hand, I really miss Maya, especially after torturing myself with Emaya videos a little while ago. But on the other hand, Emily needs to move on and be happy. And since Paige is able to do that for her (and since Lindsey Shaw is, well, Lindsey freakin' Shaw), I'll ship it. Also, there are some CRAZY Paily fans out there. I wanted to please them! And well, I think the light being shined on Lily Potter's imperfections is coming from Emily's competitive side, and therefore negative perception of her. But I agree. As much as I want to believe the Potter kids are perfect, I doubt they are, so I'm not gonna write them like they are. And that joke was ****_far_**** from terrible. I got it! Thanks again :)  
erica: Thanks! And awesome! Right up there with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine :)  
Junebug107: Thank you! And no worries. In just a few chapters, you will get your dose of Ezria, and in this chapter Ezra is on Aria's mind for some time ;)  
Ava B: I actually haven't been on MNI, but I've been on Pottermore! I'll have to check out MNI now. Good for you for embracing your badger status; Hufflepuff is JK Rowling's favorite house, _and_ there's an entire article on BuzzFeed on how Hufflepuffs are actually the most badass of them all! I have a large amount of respect for Hufflepuffs :) and I absolutely ship the Liars most of all; like, I like all of the ships, but the friendship of the Liars is the one that will overcome anything! And I've actually played Quidditch before: it was for Theater Honor Society, and it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin (Slytherin ultimately won :D) and it was quite fun! I was a Keeper, which I enjoyed.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: YEAH SLYTHERIN BROS FOREVER! Pottermore sorted me into Slytherin, and I've had my doubts because it doesn't seem like me at all/I was intimidated by the BAMF-ness of the house/I see myself as more of a Ravenpuff (that's Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff)... but you're totally right. Slytherin is a combination of ALL of the best traits from each house! We're the most worldly. And thank you for your review! I do in fact remember when Paige did that, but she _did_ redeem herself when she pulled Emily out of the water in 4x02 when she was drowning again. I think Paige was definitely in a bad place when she was bullying Emily, and while that doesn't make up for what she did, I think Paige definitely feels horrible for it and is doing everything in her power to be there for Emily now. Yeah, life is complicated for Lily :/ but at least she has her brothers to be there for her, right? And alright, I guess it's time to make my confession: Alison will not be in this story. I couldn't find a way to fit her in, unfortunately :( I guess you can pretend she's another Moaning Myrtle and is just floating around the school at her leisure. That seems the most logical, right? And oh my gosh you are so right. Spencer's breakdown = a smaller scale metaphor of all the Ezria fans everywhere during 3B. And Spencer and Caleb can be co-anchors for the Ezria Fan Club! Too perfect.  
Sgdp1261: Yep, everyone in the episode was batshit crazy... and I LOVED it! And aww, glad I could make you smile :) and dude, you should be MORE than okay with being in Ravenclaw! That means you're super smart/nerdy! I mean, you're on FanFiction, so we're all nerds here, but you're up there with the kings. Embrace it, nerds are in style now. We're too cool for the rest of the human population ;D thanks for the review, and hope you enjoyed Chamber of Secrets! It's my third favorite of the movies next to both the Deathly Hallows :)  
LAs: Ahh Hufflepuff is such a great house to be in. I've always felt like a Hufflepuff because I'm really sensitive, but Pottermore didn't really see that side of me... haha. And yeah, A definitely doesn't play around! You'll see what the motivations are, though. You simply need to keep reading! :)  
Titanium Wolf: Anytime! And I miss Maya so much :( but I like Paily too! Emily seems to really like Paige, and I think that's what matters. Can't wait to _deliver!_  
GotASecret: Wow, what an appropriate username for this fanbase! Thank you, and no, it doesn't look like Alison is gonna be in this story. Sorry!**

**You guys are so awesome, that you've gotten me over 50 reviews already, and this is only the 8th chapter. I find that to be QUITE impressive, and it just shows that you're all the best reviewers ever! The best part? How LONG they are! You all apologize for how long they are, but honestly the longer the better. You could write a freakin' NOVEL on my page and I would read every word. So thank you. Thank you so, so much *insert heart that FanFiction will not allow***

**Alright, I love this next chapter as well, because we've got more Haleb! Trying my hardest to soak in as much of him as possible before they ship him off to the place where birds die every five seconds from being blinded by the crappy Instagram filter that surrounds the town. So anyway, enjoy, and review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know you like it!**

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"God, I _hate_ Muggle Studies!" Hanna whined as she leaned against the wall outside of Professor Jurgis's classroom, as Aria stood by with a few textbooks in her arms, laughing at Hanna.

"Then why did you take it?" she asked, amused, as she had just walked out of her Ghoul Studies class nearby to find Hanna in a repose against the wall. "You took it last year!"

"Because I hated it last year, too!" Hanna explained, as if it were obvious. "But I figured if I took it again, I'd know all of the material, and maybe find a way to enjoy it a little more."

"But..." Aria prompted.

"But that didn't happen," Hanna finally confessed with a sigh.

"So drop it!" Aria suggested, only to earn another long, pitiful sigh from Hanna.

"I can't! I didn't do well in it last year, but I need it to graduate. Wait!" Her eyes lit up as she turned to Aria, suddenly very eager. "Maybe you can tutor me!"

"Tutor?" Aria was surprised. "Aren't you in Spencer territory?"

"Spencer didn't live with muggles for the first 11 years of her life!"

Aria stood back, a little hurt by what Hanna was suggesting. "You think just because my parents are muggles that I know all about the culture in the real world?"

"I think that's exactly what she thinks."

Aria and Hanna froze, turning around to see Scorpius Malfoy walk toward them, a goofy grin plastered on his face, along with Jenna Marshall and Noel Kahn in tow.

"No..." Hanna said defensively. "I was thinking that since she got an O on her O.W.L. last year for it, she could help me raise my grade."

"That class if pointless anyway, Marin," Jenna said, chuckling to herself as she held onto Noel's arm. "It's only purpose is to try to prove to filthy _mudbloods_ like Montgomery over here that they're actually good for something."

"Which they're _not_," Noel piped in, laughing along. Aria felt her face drain of color as she cowered back against the wall. But Hanna propped herself off of it as she walked toward them.

"She's a better wizard than all three of you put together," Hanna growled, "_and_ at least she has a brain, a soul, and functioning _eyes_ to work with!"

The group gasped at Hanna's comment, and even Aria's eyes widened. She appreciated Hanna defending her, but had she gone a little too far? Jenna put her hand up to her glass eye, as though to make sure Hanna's remark hadn't done anything to damage it. "You'll regret that, Marin."

"Like hell I will," Hanna said with an eyeroll as she grabbed Aria's arm, walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

"You okay?" Hanna asked as soon as they were out of earshot of majority of the student body.

Aria nodded her head as she sat down on one of the stone kiosks off to the side. "Yeah, I'm okay," she sniffled.

"Aria, Malfoy's an ass, Jenna's basically a robot, and Noel just does whatever the hell the robot _tells_ him to do," Hanna said bluntly as she sat down on the kiosk right next to Aria. Aria nodded her head, trying to look like she was agreeing with whatever Hanna was trying to convince her of, but what they said still got to her. They had called her a _mudblood_. She could take whatever else they threw at her, but when someone pulled that word out, it struck straight through to any muggle-born's heart.

The minute she entered Hogwarts when she was just a first year, she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't let her family, her blood, or the environment she grew up in define who she was or how good of a wizard she was. She had worked hard to build up as much knowledge as she could about the wizarding world ever since she found out that she was one, and did everything in her power to make sure she didn't stand out too much. But it was hard when muggle borns were so mistreated at Hogwarts, and she and her brother Mike had their fair share of it.

It also contributed to her biggest fear: people finding out about her and Ezra. If people found out, she knew that it would lead to some messed up stereotype that only "mudbloods" engage in this type of behavior, but she knew deep down that even if she was a pure-blooded wizard, it wouldn't stop her from falling head over heels in love with Ezra Fitz. She knew it was wrong, but that didn't mean that it was wrong because of her genes.

Overall, Aria was just sick and tired of being made fun of all her life for not being a pure-blooded wizard like the rest of her friends, or being looked down upon or patronized by even some of her professors. But Ezra saw right through all of that crap. He was the only person in the entire school, besides her three best friends and _their_ spouses, who didn't focus on who she was on the outside; Ezra loved Aria for her personality, and for everything that she had to offer to the wizarding world, pure-blooded or not. He saw something in Aria that others didn't, and she loved him for it.

"I know," Aria finally said, giving Hanna's hand a loving squeeze. "Thanks for standing up for me, by the way."

"Oh, anytime," Hanna said casually, waving her hand through the air like it was no big deal. "Besides, even Malfoy had it coming! Just payback for what he said to me yesterday!"

At this, Aria let out a giggle. "Just goes to show that you don't fuck with Hanna Marin."

"And don't you _know_ it!" Hanna said loudly, giving Aria a playful nudge on her arm. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool my _best friend_, you're dead freakin' meat!"

At this, Aria laughed again. The girls shared a few more giggles, before Aria stood up from the kiosk. "Well, I better get going."

"Going where?" Hanna asked curiously. "It's study hall."

"Yeah, but I promised Spencer that I'd go to the library with her, remember?" Aria reminded.

"Oh, right," Hanna said, slightly deflated that Aria had to go so soon. But suddenly she remembered something. "Hey, what did you tell Caleb last night?"

"Umm..." Aria chewed on the inside of her cheek, a bad habit she had for when she was nervous. "I just told him that it was none of his business."

"And he went along with it?" Hanna said incredulously, her eyebrows raising in suspicion.

"Well, not at first, but I got him to," Aria said with a shrug.

Hanna cocked her head sideways, studying Aria. "There's still something you're not telling me."

Aria chewed on the inside of her cheek again, falling back into the bad habit. She knew that Caleb wouldn't forget what happened last night with the fang, and he would definitely ask Hanna about it. But she also knew that Hanna wasn't the best liar, so it'd be best to keep her in the dark so that she didn't have anything to hide.

"I've told you all I know," Aria said with what she thought was a convincing shrug, but Hanna could see that she seemed more than a little stiff. "Look, I've gotta go. Spencer's waiting, and you know how she gets when something's on her mind."

"Yeah, I know," Hanna agreed with a another sigh. Aria gave Hanna's shoulder a squeeze before parting ways with one final goodbye.

_Something's up_, Hanna thought to herself as Aria approached the far end of the hall, about to walk around the corner and saunter out of sight.

As if on cue, the minute Aria walked out of view, Caleb slid into the seat next to Hanna, sneaking a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, beautiful."

"Oh, hey," Hanna said softly, trying to hide her dismay at Caleb's presence. "How are you?"

"Now that you mention it, confused," he admitted as he as he sat slouched forward a little.

Hanna felt her heart sink as she slouched forward with him. "About...?"

He looked up at her, his caring brown eyes meeting her soft blue ones. "Last night, something happened in the common room."

_Oh no_, Hanna thought. _Dammit, Aria!_

"What did she tell you?" Hanna groaned, preparing for the worst.

"Tell me?" Caleb asked, perplexed. "Who?"

Hanna sat up, looking at him suspiciously. "Aria..." she said slowly. "I... I thought you meant that she told you something in the common room last night."

"No..." Caleb said even more slowly. "What would she have told me?"

"You know what? Nevermind," Hanna said, waving her hand through the air in a motion that was meant to metaphorically erase all she had just said. "What were you going to say?"

Caleb eyed her warily, but continued. "Well, I was _with_ Aria, but it wasn't anything she said. It was what _happened_ to her."

Hanna's back suddenly straightened completely, as though 300 volts of electricity were just shot up her spine. "What happened to Aria?"

"We were just sitting by the fire," Caleb explained, "and then the fire _exploded,_ just out of nowhere, and out came this... _fang_."

A small, fearful squeak escaped Hanna's throat. "Fang?"

"Yeah," he said incredulously. "Do you know anything about it?"

"No," Hanna lied. "No, I don't."

At this, Caleb scoffed, surprising Hanna. "What?"

"You're lying," he said simply.

"What? Caleb, I don't _lie_," she said harshly, annoyed that he could even consider accusing her of that... even if that was somewhat close to what she was doing. "Why would you think that?"

"You just _predicted_ that Aria and I talked, and now you're going to pretend that you don't know what's going on?"

"I'm not pretending," she said honestly. "I really don't know what's going on!"

"So why'd you think Aria said something to me?"

"I... thought it was something else," she answered, her voice faltering toward the end of the sentence, hoping Caleb wouldn't notice.

He did.

"What did you think it was?" he challenged.

"It's nothing, okay?" she answered, finality clear in her tone as she stood up from the kiosk. "Look, I've gotta go."

"Hanna." He stood up too, meeting her with a gaze that was supposed to be understanding, yet she just saw it as unwelcoming. "I'm here for you, okay? Don't shut me out."

"But whatever's happening doesn't have anything to _do_ with you, Caleb!" she exclaimed.

"But it has to do with your friends, obviously!" he exclaimed back. "When you guys walked out of the hall last night during dinner... did Spencer get a similar fang? Is that why she was so freaked out?"

"No," Hanna lied.

"_Hanna_," Caleb said intensely, giving her a look that told her not to cross him.

Hanna sighed before nodding her head. _Damn_, he was smart. He wasn't sorted in Ravenclaw for nothing, that was for sure.

"Hanna," he said softly, reaching out to encase her hands in his. "Try to understand where I'm coming from. If this is happening to your friends, it could easily happen to you!"

"Are you suggesting I should stay away from my friends?" Hanna said testily.

Caleb was taken aback by this. "I'm pretty sure that's _not_ what I said," he said rationally. "I'm just saying that you should tell me what's going on so that I can keep you safe."

"You don't need to keep me safe!" she said, throwing her arms up in the air, an unsuccessful attempt at being breezy. "It was probably just a stupid prank, okay? People love pulling those at the beginning of the year! Hello? The Weasleys?"

"The Weasleys are in a completely different house, Hanna!" Caleb said exasperatedly.

"So? Their uncle is, like, a champion prankster! He could probably get someone to sit on a whoopie cushion from 100 miles away, and chances are that talent passed on!"

"I'm telling you, this was no childish prank," Caleb said quietly, yet firmly. "First of all, it came out of the _fireplace_. Unless someone else in the school has found a way to rig the Floo Network, which I _know_ they haven't unless they've come to me - "

"Then how the hell could it have happened, Caleb?" Hanna challenged.

"I don't know!" he answered honestly. "But whoever did it, they seem pretty serious. Aria looked pretty freaked."

"Caleb, she's _Aria_," Hanna said bluntly. "The girl weighs about 90 pounds and nearly passed out when we had to perform Unforgivable curses on spiders last year."

"Hanna, c'mon."

"I promise you, everything that _I_ know, _you_ know," Hanna said as sincerely as possible, and technically she was telling the truth. She truly didn't know what was going on, and she was giving up to Caleb everything she knew in the most optimistic way possible. Caleb still looked unconvinced, so Hanna tilted her head upward to give him a gentle kiss.

"You know I don't keep secrets from you," she whispered against his lips, figuring that if she couldn't be convincing, she could at least be sexy, and hope that passed off as convincing.

"Yeah, I know," he mumbled reluctantly against hers. She pulled back, then reached up to tuck his long brown hair behind his ear. "Don't get angry, okay? It's not a good look on you."

"Okay," he mumbled defeatedly, leaning in as a request for one more kiss. Hanna accepted, confident that she had won this battle, but then quickly pulled back, delivering a quick "goodbye" as she walked down the corridor, searching for a classroom to pretend to study in for the rest of study hall, as Caleb stared after her, still desperate for some answers, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

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**Alright, I think this is an appropriate time to tell you guys: I'm leaving to go out of town presumably on Sunday, so my frequent updates are gonna be on a temporary halt. I won't be gone for TOO long, though! Just a few days, I believe. But it would be so cool if I could go out with a bang, so if you guys could do whatever you can to spread the word about this story, I would really, really appreciate it! You guys have been terrific so far, and I'm so grateful :) don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Shoutout to PrettyWitchyVamp and Ava B for catching the reference last chapter! It's from 1x19: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool my _best friend_, you're dead freakin' meat." And now for your reviews:**

**TotalCowGirl: Thank you so much!  
Goldenheart11: Dude, if checking constantly is what fuels your awesome reviews, keep checking! And thank you! I'm telling you, I just love Caleb an insane amount! That's all there is to it. And that's really Hanna to a T, isn't it? She has to rely on her sense of humor a lot of the time because she might not be the brightest bulb in the bunch, but she knows one thing for sure: that if anyone messes with her friends, she'll kick their asses. And sometimes that's all you really need! Since she's like that in the show, it only made sense that she'd be a Hufflepuff in the story :) and some other stories don't touch on muggle-born prejudice? How can they not?! I like doing internal monologues for Aria, though. She's got a lot going on in that noggin of hers, and if someone's gonna go so far as to say the "M" word, it's gonna get to her. Thanks again for reading, and hopefully you'll like this next chapter just as much!  
Erica: Noel and Jenna always go too far. But Aria's a tough cookie. She's upset now, but she'll shake it off! Thanks again!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Thank you so much for your reviews, they kill me. Haha, Jenna having a glass eye is a definite highlight of writing this story. And she was actually born with her glass eye, it had nothing to do with the girls. Although, that doesn't mean she's not gonna use it to get what she wants ;) and I'm team Haria all the way. I LOVE their friendship, and they always get caught in these crazy adventures when they're together and it's fantastic. And Aria doesn't usually cower away when someone attacks, this is true. Her feisty petiteness is part of why I love her character so much. But keep in mind, this is a battle she's been facing for seven years now. People at Hogwarts, especially Slytherins like Malfoy and Jenna, are _terrible_ toward muggle-borns like Aria, and chances are she's been fighting them off for as long as she possibly can, but enough is enough and she's tired of it all. She'll fight back with a clever/witty retort for anything else you throw at her, but say the "M" word and all bets are off. You will still very much see the feisty side of Aria throughout this story. It's a _long_ story, so she's got plenty of time to show it off! And indeed, there is trouble in paradise for Haleb, but they have plenty of adorable moments in store as well! Yes, the Weasley twin(s) are quite crazy, but that's why we love them right? Memory eternal, Fred.  
Titanium Wolf: Thanks! Scorpius seemed to fit well with Jenna and Noel. I had to give it a go! And Mona as A... well, that's for you to figure out ;)  
Sgdp1261: Jeez, that's morbid. Yet appropriate, since Jenna probably deserves it. Especially in this story... and I agree about Caleb. If I ever get a boyfriend, I want him to be EXACTLY like Caleb. In fact, my vision of a perfect boyfriend is someone who is a combination of Caleb and Ezra. And wow, thank you so much! Glad you liked the last chapter so much. And yes, this chapter is Sparia-centric, so you'll get your dose of them :)  
Ava B: Thank you so much! I try really hard to make sure I'm true to the characters. And I might watch, like, the first episode of Ravenswood because of Caleb, but I'm not sure. I was never very excited about it to be honest. And wow, MNI sounds awesome! One of these days I'll have to check it out.**

**Alright, so some of you have been waiting quite a while for this chapter, and I'm here to present it to you with utmost glee: Sparia in the library. Enjoy, and PLEASE review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER!**

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Spencer stared absentmindedly at the book in front of her, flipping each page quickly without even looking at the content on it. Madam Pince was sitting on a stool at her desk several yards away, having no idea what Spencer was really doing. Spencer had just told her she was looking for books on creatures with fangs, saying she needed it for her Care of Magical Creatures class. Madam Pince had shown her right to them, letting Spencer take as many as she wanted, and Spencer was grateful that Madam Pince didn't notice the beads of sweat collecting on her forehead, considering she hadn't taken Care of Magical Creatures since she was a fifth year.

She heard the door open and close all the way at the front of the library, and when she looked up Aria was walking up to her.

"Hey," Spencer said dramatically, putting her head against one hand while she flipped the page with the other.

Aria sat down next to Spencer, giving her a quizzical look as Spencer continued to flip the pages. "Are you reading that fast or just fanning yourself?"

Spencer let out a dry laugh as she ceased her page flipping. "Very funny. Now help me!"

"Have you found anything yet?" Aria asked as she set her stuff down.

Spencer huffed in frustration as she slumped in her seat. "No," she said bitterly, before handing Aria one book from the stack of books in front of her on the table. "Here. It's a book on reptiles. See if you can figure out who it comes from."

Aria took the book and opened it to a random page before looking up at Spencer. "Do you remember what it looked like?"

"I have it with me," Spencer whispered, not taking her eyes off of Aria as she reached into her pocket to pull out the fang in question, wrapped in a napkin the same way it was when she first showed it to her.

Spencer unraveled the fang from the napkin, studying it carefully. "Okay, I'd say it's about... 6 inches long."

"You're really going to guess on something like this?" Aria whispered frantically.

"It's not guessing if I'm right!" Spencer argued.

"You don't know that though! Just use a ruler or something."

"No!" Spencer said hastily. "I don't wanna touch it!"

Aria just sighed, knowing Spencer wasn't going to listen to her. She flipped through her book, searching for any creature that might have fangs that size. A lot fit the criteria, which she could tell by the oral diagrams that were shown along with each animal, giving an accurate, detailed visual of each tooth, but she couldn't find one in particular that looked exactly like the fang in front of her.

After about an hour of nonstop flipping pages of books, Aria rested her head on her open book, letting out a frustrated moan. Spencer looked up from her book. "No luck?"

"No," Aria mumbled, her voice muffled by the book, before sitting back up, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Maybe you were right," Spencer said thoughtfully, staring down at her open book blankly, as though she were looking right through the book, _and _through the table, straight to her shoes. "Maybe the fang is fake? Maybe this is just some sort of joke?"

"Still seems like kind of a _sick_ joke," Aria said glumly, before letting out a long sigh. "Can we take a break? My brain is fried."

"Yeah, we can," Spencer agreed, tiredly marking the page in her current textbook before closing it. "Let's talk about something else. How was your day so far?"

"It was alright," Aria said with a shrug. "Until Malfoy and the odd couple from Hell had to show up."

"Odd couple from Hell?"

"Jenna and Noel," Aria explained irritably. Aria was especially bitter about them as a couple because of the tension between her and Noel. The two dated back when they were third years, and he had broken it off with her for reasons she was still unaware of; he hadn't even bothered to explain. She didn't know why it bothered her so much; he was known for going through girls in the school like they were kleenex, and she knew this going out with him in the first place. Also, she was in a happy relationship now, and he was free to date whoever he wanted. But there was still something off about him, and Jenna, that Aria couldn't quite place.

Spencer stiffened. "What did they say?"

"Some snarky comment about me being muggle born," Aria said bitterly. "The usual."

"Seriously?" Spencer exclaimed, getting angry, until she realized where she was. She lowered her voice. "I will destroy them."

"Don't, Spence," Aria whined. "I'm used to it by now, this is seven years in the making."

Spencer just scoffed as she leaned forward over the table. "It still sickens me."

"What does?" Aria said curiously.

"That the most honest person I know has to share parents with the most deceitful person in this school," Spencer said bluntly, bitterly changing the subject.

It took Aria a minute, but she finally connected the dots. "Wait... are you talking about Toby and Jenna?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to justify her confusion.

"He was so sweet last night," Spencer said softly, reliving Toby rubbing her shoulders before allowing her to fall asleep against his strong chest. "And I couldn't tell him anything. It must be killing him."

Aria nodded sympathetically as she reached out for Spencer's hand, giving it a loving squeeze. "The less he knows the better. We don't know what we're dealing with when it comes to this; we don't know how serious it is! And we can't let the people we care about get involved."

For whatever reason, something in what Aria just said sparked Spencer's attention. She jerked her head up, narrowing her eyes at Aria as she pulled her hand back. "What did you just say?"

Aria froze, running through the last sentence in her head, trying to think of whether she had slipped up on something. Spencer was smart, and not much got past her. Just when Aria was about to settle on that Spencer just didn't hear her right, she stopped.

Aria didn't say _you_. She said _we_.

Shit.

"Aria," Spencer said darkly, "did you get one too?"

"I..."

Aria closed her mouth. Great. She was trapped.

Spencer sat back in her chair, giving Aria a judging once over. "Empty your pockets."

"What?" Aria asked, confused, as well as a little scared.

"Empty. Your. Pockets," Spencer repeated firmly.

Aria just stared at Spencer, trying her hardest not to crumble under her harsh gaze. But finally, Aria gave up, deciding that she had indeed lost this battle. Spencer knew her too well. She stood up, reached into her right pocket, and pulled out a near identical fang to the one Spencer had, wrapped in a handkerchief, the same red 'A' carved across the top.

Spencer let out a small squeak as Aria placed the fang on the table before sitting down. "I got it last night," Aria said softly. "I was in the common room, and then the fire in the fireplace started freaking out... and then this came flying out."

"Why were you going to hide this from me?" Spencer said carefully.

Aria sighed before reaching out for Spencer's hand again, encasing it in her own. "You were so worried already, and I didn't want to work you up even more."

"Too late," Spencer muttered before putting her head in her hands. It was bad enough when someone put a fang in her soup; now this person was going after Aria? What had _Aria_ done to make anyone mad?

Spencer looked down at Aria's fang, and carefully, still without touching it, moved it next to her own, comparing the two. "You said this came out of the fireplace?"

"Yeah," Aria said, nodding her head. "I was putting another log in the fire, and it just... combusted!"

"So whoever is doing this must be serious," Spencer said grimly before turning back to Aria. "Someone wants to hurt us, Aria."

"But why?" Aria whispered frantically. "What could we have possibly done?"

"I don't know," Spencer said truthfully before looking back down at the two fangs. Until she noticed something.

"One of them is smaller than the other," she whispered, gesturing for Aria to come toward her as she kept her eyes on the page.

Aria surveyed the two together, before a thought occurred to her. "Two different kinds of fangs?"

"No, they look like they came from the same beast," Spencer surmised, "but they're..."

"From different parts of the mouth," Aria concluded.

Spencer felt the blood rush to her head as she turned back to Aria. "They don't sell fake fangs in different shapes and sizes, do they?"

Aria glumly shook her head. "They're a lot less versatile than that."

"So this is real..." Spencer said softly, looking back down at the fangs to just stare at them. "Someone is out to get us. Someone pried these things out of an actual beast to try to scare us."

"But why?" Aria asked curiously, but Spencer could detect a hint of desperation in her voice.

Spencer gulped before answering, "That's what we need to find out."

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**Side Note: God, words cannot describe how much I love these two. Just... Ugh. Sparia is perfect. And anyone catch any references? ;) remember, they can be from both Harry Potter AND PLL. No restrictions. Review with your findings!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, so references (Congrats to Ava B and ShadowsOnTheMoon for getting the most. 3 out of 4! I'm impressed):**

**"Are you reading that fast or just fanning yourself?" I forget which episode, but it was in season 1, originally from Spencer to Hanna (and congratulations to TotalCowGirl, Ava B, ShadowsOnTheMoon, and LAs for getting it!)  
"Some snarky comment about me being muggle-born." "I will destroy them." 1x15 I think it was, originally Emily, and then Spencer (shoutout to Titanium Wolf, Sgdp1261, ShadowsOnTheMoon, and Ava B for getting that!)  
"Going through girls in this school like they were kleenex." Originally Aria said this, but I forget the episode. No one got this one, but that's probably because no one said it; it was narrated. References can be in the narration, too!  
"That the most honest person I know has to share parents with the most deceitful person in this school." Spoby. 3x05. And Goldenheart11, ShadowsOnTheMoon and Ava B got it!**

**You guys have been really good about guessing references. Keep it up! And now your reviews:**

**Guest: We all need our daily dose of Sparia! Glad I could provide, and thanks for reading!  
Titanium Wolf: Sparia does indeed rule :) thanks so much!  
TotalCowGirl: So happy you liked it! Thanks for reading!  
LAs: Caleb's protective nature is so adorable. It's one of my favorite things about him! And yeah, Aria shouldn't have to be used to it, but unfortunately she is :( and hmm, well do you know for sure that it's a Basilisk? It could be any other beast ;) but I do think the girls are slowly starting to realize just how much danger they're really in. Thanks again for reading!  
Goldenheart11: Am I Team Sparia? WHEW WHAT A QUESTION! I ship Sparia more than I ship any couple/friendship on this show. And hmm, I don't think I worked that line into this story because I already worked it into one of my other stories, The Parting Glass... I can try fitting it in somewhere, though!**** Still, it really is such a great line, and is basically Aria in a nutshell.**** But dude, they're totally head-over-heels in love with each other. They hint at it all the time on the show! Like, 4x06 I think it was? "No, you just spit in it!" Please, like Spencer isn't familiar with the taste of Aria's spit, am I right? They're in a secret affair, I just know it. And I will never ignore your ramblings, they're brilliant! Thanks again, and enjoy this chapter as well :)  
Sgdp1261: You're the second person to say that "Empty your pockets" line, but I haven't seen it! And yes, Spencer would do absolutely anything for her friends, I love it. So happy you enjoyed the Sparia this chapter, I aim to please! And I think this is you; there was another guest who reviewed, but this one sounds like you, haha. Good thing you're so awesome and review all the time, or I wouldn't be able to guess!  
Ava B: No, I'm not familiar with hashtagpll, but if it includes anything even closely related to Sparia I guess I'll just have to! I like "Fuck yeah Spencer and Aria", I always go on there. They post anything related to Sparia, and it's a good cure for a bad day. And yes, Spencer is so protective of Aria, I love it. It's cuz she's so damn tiny!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: I know how much you love Sparia since it's all we talk about all the time, so it means a lot that you liked that chapter :) don't worry about leaving a long review! Hearing from you is enough! Thank you so much.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Dude, I cannot even tell you how happy your reviews make me, and this one was no exception. And huh, you're right! I think it's just because you can't really do much with "Ar", but a lot with "ria". And Aria basically is a kitten, or more like a raccoon: looks cute, but will totally claw your face off if you rub it the wrong way. Sparia restores MY faith in humanity as well! Especially lately; I think the writers are making up for the lack of Sparia in 3B, which I'm enjoying. And boy, you're spot on with those Hermione flashbacks. Spencer really is Hermione in a lot of ways! And hmmm, well you're right to worry about Ezria, but I'm not gonna tell you whether you're right or wrong to assume whether anyone will find out about them. I don't want to ruin the element of surprise! And the Liars know, as well as their significant others (Aria is confident in the trust each girl has with their spouse to let them know), and A knows because, let's be real, A knows EVERYTHING, but that's it. Mike doesn't know. Thanks so much for the review AND for reading.  
Erica: They're my favorite characters, too! Thanks again :)**

**Alright, now for the chapter. Once again, enjoy, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

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"Hanna, c'mon, focus. You're the one who begged me to tutor you, remember?"

Hanna let out a long sigh as she tapped her pencil neurotically against her desk. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, Lucas."

Lucas took a risk and scooted a little closer to Hanna, sliding along the bench until he was right next to her. He took in the scent of her herbal shampoo, wafting from her blonde locks directly up to his nose. Trying not to be too obvious, he cleared his throat as he nervously tugged at his Hufflepuff tie. "Is something wrong?"

"No!" Hanna said abruptly, trying to sound convincing. "No, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Hanna," Lucas began with a laugh, "the school year just started... today. What could you possibly have on your mind?"

"Things," she said testily, shooting Lucas a look that said that he shouldn't try to pry his way in to look for details. He had a point though; Hanna shouldn't be so stressed out, but with both Aria and Spencer receiving those weird fangs - and Aria not even _telling_ her about getting the fang when she had a perfect opportunity to - and Caleb pestering her for answers she didn't have, she was understandably tense.

Lucas ducked his head, noticeably blushing. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Is there... anything I can do to help?"

He was looking at her with beckoning brown eyes, like a small dog, and Hanna found that she couldn't help the smile the crept over her face. "Thanks," she said softly, "you're sweet. But I'm fine. Just being dramatic."

"Right," Lucas said, nodding his head a little too eagerly. He opened the textbook in front of him with fumbling hands, avoiding having to look into Hanna's mesmerizing blue eyes. "Umm... so, you said your first lesson was one on muggle music?"

"Yeah, and my homework assignment is to do a report on the artist of my choice for next week!" Hanna said with mock enthusiasm, before contorting her face into the emotion that she _really_ felt: irritated. "Kill me."

"Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad," Lucas said optimistically. "You took the class last year, so you probably remember some musicians that you can do! Surely you liked _one_ of them?"

"Why would I like one of them?" Hanna said bitterly. "All of the ones we learned about sound as though the Weird Sisters and Hobgoblins banded together to throw Stubby Boardman off of a cliff... and then made a song out of it."

"Okay, well that was just the heavy metal portion," Lucas explained.

"Yeah, and it was the only one that I actually listened to," Hanna retorted. "Everything else I spaced out, but it was _impossible_ to space out when Jurgis put on heavy metal."

Lucas let out a heavy breath - this was going to take a while - before turning back to the textbook in front of him, flipping to a random page before looking back up at Hanna with excitement. "Hey! I have an idea!"

"What?" she asked, intrigued.

He broke out into a devious grin. "I bet this would be more fun for you if it were a little more relatable, right?"

"I mean, I guess," Hanna said warily, not sure what he was hinting at.

Lucas just kept smiling as he leaned back in his chair, suddenly gaining a world of confidence in a matter of seconds. "Remember when we first met, and I blurted out that you looked like a genetic splice between Barbie and Shakira?"

"I only remember because I had no clue what you were talking about," Hanna said with a laugh. Lucas only knew so much about the muggle world because his parents worked undercover for the Ministry as financial assistants at a bank in London. That meant his parents had to travel a lot into that world, so his dad would always bring Lucas back souvenirs from his day trips: action figures, comic books, magazines (even those that were primarily meant for women), all things of the sort. Lucas was the main reason Hanna passed the course the previous year, even if just barely. But Hanna's mother was not happy when she saw her low grade, passing or not passing, so Hanna suggested that she and Lucas get a head start on the curriculum this year.

Lucas leaned forward, his brown eyes gleaming. "You should do your report on Shakira!"

At this, Hanna had to burst out laughing, evoking several weird glances from surrounding students in the classroom they were in. "Shakira?"

"Hips don't lie!" Lucas said with a happy shrug. "I have a collection of Rolling Stones magazines that you can use for research if you want."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why not?" Lucas responded. "I think it'd be really cool and creative! Jurgis will give you an O for sure."

"Well..." Hanna began thoughtfully, pondering over the idea. It would be pretty cool, and Lucas could probably help her out a lot with it. Finally, she turned to him, the smile on his face now mirrored on her own. "Alright. Let's do it!"

"Great!" He then stood up from the table, seemingly a lot more stable than he was when he first walked in, and put his textbooks in his cauldron before slinging it on his arm. "So I'll see you in the dorms?"

"Yeah," Hanna said, beaming brightly. Lucas then gave a curt head nod before walking out of the classroom, practically levitating above the ground. She knew that she and Lucas would never be like _that_ - she loved Caleb too much - but Hanna was happy that Lucas was such a good friend to her. He always managed to save her ass every year in school ever since they were first years, helping her get the grades she needed in all of her classes to not get held back. She kept this in mind as she gathered her stuff and started to make her way to her next class.

But just as she was making her way out of the doorway, something flew into her field of vision. She let out a scream, ducking out of the way just in time as a _thud_ was heard as whatever flew past her darted straight into the wall. Taking a chance, she stood back up again, looking up to what had just flown by.

"Oh, dammit," she muttered as she stared straight up at a cream-white fang, nearly 6 inches in length, wedged into the wall, a deep red 'A' carved into its seemingly smooth surface.

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**Side Note: So, it looks like all of the girls have their fangs now... this should be interesting. Also, references anyone? ;) Also AGAIN, who here misses Lucas? Because I do. Hancas friendship was such a wonderful thing. Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Congrats to Ava B, erica, and Sgdp1261 for getting the reference: "A genetic splice between Barbie and Shakira." Lucas, 1x06, possibly the most adorable thing he's ever said.**

**Goldenheart11: I know right? I love Lucas, he was so sweet to Hanna. When he became all dark, I still loved him because he's, well, LUCAS, but I miss sweet and adorable Lucas. And I don't think anyone judged him for being on the A-team! At least, not that I've seen. I'm glad you like Lucas here! Thanks again  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Of COURSE I got your reference! A Very Potter Musical. What else? That show is supermegafoxyawesomehot. And YES! I wish they would just open the trap door to the black hole holding all of the MIA characters on the show. Have a jail break. Let them loose for a while. But hey, at least Mike Montgomery managed to escape, right? And I totally agree, Lucas is like a little puppy dog! I'm glad you like him, thanks for the compliment! I couldn't make him creepy; I miss sweet Lucas too much! And well, you're gonna see how it's brought up to each other in this upcoming chapter, which hopefully you'll enjoy. And as for MONA... she'll enter the scene in a couple chapters, which I'm very excited because she's an actual goddess.  
TotalCowGirl: Thanks! :)  
Ava B: It was their first scene together! Oh, that cute little weirdo. I adore him XD Thanks again! Hopefully you'll like this next chapter even more! PS: I went on MuggleNet, and it sorted me into Ravenclaw... I'm like a Slytherhuffleclaw at this point. Thank you for pointing me to the site, though! I'm in love with it, AND I'm in love with hashtagpll, the other thing you recommended! I swear I've seen it before, but that doesn't matter because I'm looking at it now and it is brilliant. Mainly because of this: hashtagpll . tumblr post/58268940259 and THIS: hashtagpll . tumblr post/58371783373/from-the-episode-i-started-shippi ng-sparia-by (take out spaces)  
****Sgdp1261: Well, that would explain everything if Lucas went to Hogwarts! I want him back on the show. Hell, I want EVERYONE who randomly disappeared to come back! Holden, Noel, Meredith, ELLA... the list goes on. And yes, Hanna has a fang of her own, meaning all of the girls have one. And you can bet everything you own that they're going to have a very deep discussion on it... and all of that starts this chapter!  
erica: Yep, you got it!**

**Alright, so this next chapter is where stuff really starts going down, and REALLY fast, too. Hold on to your socks. Hold onto them NOW. And be sure to review at the end of the chapter, as well as follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know that you liked it! And if you didn't... do all of that stuff anyway!**

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"Hanna?"

"Hanna? What are you doing?"

Aria and Spencer were on their way to their next class when they had heard Hanna scream, so they came running to where she was, only to find her standing on her toes, trying to get a hold on the creamy white fang above her, wedged deep into the cement wall.

Hanna jumped up once more, arm extended, before huffing loudly as she collapsed against the wall, turning back to Spencer and Aria. "Well, what does it look like I'm doing?"

"Wait..." Aria said apprehensively. "Is that - "

"Yeah," Hanna interrupted, fully facing Aria now. "Yeah, it's a fang. I got one, too. And I know that _you_ got one. How? From my _boyfriend_."

Aria sighed. "Hanna, I was going to tell you eventually - "

"You should've told me when you had the chance," Hanna interrupted again.

"And have you lie to Caleb?!" Aria snapped, making Hanna stop in her tracks. Aria had a point.

"Whatever," Hanna said hastily, looking up to the fang staring down at her. "Help me get this down."

"You can't touch it with your bare hands!" Spencer said frantically. "Are you insane?"

"Oh, grow up Spencer," Hanna said impatiently. "It's not like it has cooties or anything."

"No, but we still don't know where it comes from!" Spencer argued. "It could have venom on it that could _kill_ you, Hanna!"

"Spencer, I'm _just_ getting it out of the wall."

"Both of you, shut up!" Aria butted in as she pulled out her wand, pointing it upward toward the fang. "_Accio fang_."

At once, the fang was captured under the spell, weaving out of the wall as Aria lowered her wand, directing the fang into her robe pocket, before turning to the girls. "There. Now c'mon, let's get out of here."

"Guys?"

All three girls whipped around, to see Emily before them, looking quite disheveled. "What's going on?"

"What are you doing here, Em?" Spencer asked.

"This is my next class," Emily answered suspiciously. "Should I not be here?"

"Oh my _god_," Hanna huffed, grabbed Spencer and Aria's hands and walking in a different direction, jerking her head in that direction for Emily to follow.

"Hanna, what are you doing?" Emily said, clearly panicked. "We're going to be late for class!"

Hanna dragged them all to the nearest girls' bathroom. There was a spider web in the corner of the doorframe, carefully crafted by the rarest of black widows, and they could ever so faintly hear the sound of water dripping slowly from one of the rusty old faucets on the inside. She pushed them all in, ignoring the smell of sulfur, and then closed the door, before turning to all of them.

"We've been here, what, one day?" Hanna spat. "And already we're starting to lie to each other. This has never happened before! Are we _seriously_ going to wait until our last, and _best_ year, to start bickering like first years?"

"We're not bickering, Hanna," Aria reasoned, "we're just scared."

"Wait." Emily cocked her head to the side, confused. "Scared of what? For Spencer?"

"No." Aria sighed. She _hated_ conflict. She might as well come clean for all of them. "Emily... Spencer wasn't the only one who got a fang; Hanna and I got one too."

"Yeah, and _this one_ decided it'd be a good idea not to _tell_ me about it," Hanna seethed, glaring at Aria.

"I already told you why I did that, Hanna!"

"Well, then I guess it's my turn," Emily muttered under her breath, but the other girls caught it. Spencer's ears perked up. "What do you mean it's your turn?"

Emily sighed, reaching into the pocket of her robe to pull out something spherical and golden, and the girls found out shortly that it was the Golden Snitch. Aria stared at it, confused. "Why do you have the Snitch, Emily?"

Emily sighed, taking her thumb and running it along the close of the Snitch. At once, it popped open, revealing inside a cream fang that looked like all of the others that the girls were talking about.

Hanna's face went from a peachy pink to sheet white in seconds. "You got one, too?" she whispered, until her face hardened. "You _both_ got one and just decided it would be a good idea _not_ to tell me?!"

"I was going to tell you!" Emily shouted. "I just got it at Quidditch tryouts. I caught the Snitch and then it just exploded!"

"Guys keep your voices down," Aria said, eyes wide with worry, before turning to Emily. "It _exploded_? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Emily said passively. "Lily Potter yanked it out of my hand and threw it across the field before it could cause any real damage."

"Wait," Hanna said, putting her hand out in front of her to show that she was confused. "Isn't Potter the one you're always competing with for Seeker every year? The fourth year?"

"Yeah, but I think I've finally lost that battle since the Snitch spontaneously combusted," Emily muttered bitterly.

"Okay, if Albright doesn't give it to you because of THAT I'll kick his ass!"

"GUYS," Spencer shouted. "Knock it off! This is serious."

"Honestly, I don't know why we're freaking out," Hanna said with a shrug. "It's a _fang. _It's not like someone put mandrakes in our porridge before we got a chance to cover our ears."

"But Aria and I discovered in the library today that these are _real_ fangs," Spencer argued. "Someone took these out of an actual beast's _mouth_, and set this all up so we would get them in our food, our fireplaces, our _classrooms,_ and apparently now out at our Quidditch tryouts."

Before Spencer could utter another word, there was movement heard in the hall. Students were still moving, on their way to their next classes. She froze, then directed the girls into the nearest stall, fitting them all in there.

"Okay," Spencer began, taking a deep breath. "So why would someone do this? Any ideas?"

"To scare us?" Aria suggested timidly.

"Someone has to have a bigger motive than that," Emily argued, shaking her head. Something about this felt incredibly wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint on what it was. They were just fangs, right? Someone probably just found them in the Forbidden Forest and decided to have some fun with them. But what did they find fun in toying with Emily and her friends?

"Guys, what could we have possibly done that would make someone wanna do anything _more_ than just scare us?" Hanna wondered out loud. "I mean, yeah, Spencer and Emily can get overly obnoxious and competitive, and Aria is _really _annoying from time to time - "

"_Hanna,_" all three girls said sternly, asking that she get to the point instead of pointing out all of their flaws.

"_And_ myself," Hanna added on defensively. "I can see why someone would get annoyed by me talking so much or some shit like that, but..." She looked at the fang in the Snitch in Emily's hand. "If those fangs really are dangerous, what would that lead to?"

"Hanna's right," Aria agreed. "I can't think of anyone who would gain something by hurting us."

"I can think of a few people," Spencer muttered bitterly. The other three then turned to her expectantly, commanding her to spill. Spencer threw her head back in annoyance. "C'mon guys. Do you know how many people there are at this school who would like to take a slice at us? Noel, Jenna, Malfoy - "

"But they wouldn't _hurt_ us, would they?" Aria asked skeptically.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Spencer said. "They've always hated us, we've always hated them. It's as simple as that."

"But it's not as simple as that, Spencer," Emily said firmly, holding out the open Snitch as evidence, the dark red 'A' clear as day on the front face if it. "The 'A'. What would those people have to do with an 'A'? I think there's a deeper connotation behind it."

"There doesn't always need to be a deeper connotation, Em!" Spencer argued. "Sometimes the answer is just in black and white. Sometimes you don't need a solid explanation!"

Suddenly, the sound of a high pitched cackle reverberated throughout the bathroom. The girls froze, goosebumps raising on their arms. Before they even got a chance to look around, a thin, translucent film floated through the air until it was hovering over the stall the girls were in.

Moaning Myrtle.

"Hello," Spencer said warily. "Can we help you?"

"Actually, I think that _I_ can help _you_!" Myrtle said excitedly, giggling maniacally as her colorless eyes brightened. "I know what it is! I know it!"

"Wait, you know what, Myrtle?" Aria asked, suddenly attentive. "You know who did this? You know what this is?"

"I'll never tell!" Myrtle said cryptically, throwing her wobbly head back in laughter. "I'll never tell a soul!"

"Okay, _no_, Myrtle," Hanna snapped. "You're not going to drop a bomb like that and then just leave us hanging. Fork it up, _now._"

"Nope!" Myrtle said simply, wafting up and above the stall and into the rafters. "Although I'll give you a hint. I'd go see what all that commotion in the hallway is about before you start to pester _me_ with questions."

The girls stopped, suddenly silent. They listened, and sure enough they heard a cacophony of sounds in the hall; way more than could be associated with passing classes.

Without missing a beat, the girls burst through the stall door, running out into the hall to see what was going on. But they could never be prepared for what was actually happening before their eyes.

A crowd of students and professors was gathered around something, and together the girls pushed through the mound if people until they got to the center, finding out what it was.

Lying on the cold, hard ground, eyes glazed over and limbs unmoving, was a very pale Mike Montgomery.

* * *

**Side Note: So the liars are now clued in, thanks to that pesky Myrtle, on something... But they don't know what! They just need to figure out how valuable of a source Myrtle is. And Mike :( it broke my heart having to take him away, but it needed to be done. He's still an active part in the story though! No need to fret. And if you're still fretting, just remember that this is no different from him being MIA throughout all of season 3 :D Y'all will survive, I know it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So, with the exception of one person, you all left the nicest reviews, even if you're all probably furious with me for doing that to Mike! So THANK YOU! Now to answer them:**

**Guest: Um, I don't have any idea what you're talking about considering I ****_don't_**** write my own reviews. First of all, when would I find the time to write 80+ reviews for myself? And second of all, that's just unclassy, and the fact that you'd assume that of me just proves you don't know anything about me. But thanks for reading!  
TotalCowGirl: Yeah, poor Mike is right :( thanks again for reading!  
Goldenheart11: That pesky Myrtle, always getting into trouble! And I know, I love Mike! And you're right, they're the only two siblings on the show that have a healthy relationship. I love how protective they are of each other, it's so adorable. And aww, poor Lucas! Maybe that's why he left the show: all the haters scared him off! Anyway, thanks for the kind review, as always :)  
LAs: Mike is quite adorable, but as of now he is far from okay :( and you'll see in this chapter how it affects Aria. Let's just say, she is far from happy about it. And I never said it wasn't a Basilisk fang, I just said that it might not be! You never know with this story, it could be anything! ;) You just have to keep reading to find out. And wow, thanks so much! Well, if it's your favorite, looks like I have to try harder to meet your expectations! o.0  
Ava B: Mikey :( I love when the Liars have scenes together, too! I think they're stronger as a group, and they have this hilariously dysfunctional dynamic that is so fun to write for. And yes, I LOVE both! Thank you so much for the recommendation!  
Titanium Wolf: Not a problem! And man, you just found a way to make my story sound 10x better than it actually is. Thank you so much! And thank your brother for me, too :)  
Sgdp1261: Indeed, baby Montgomery has bit the dust :( I love his relationship with Aria as well. Don't worry, there's going to be a chapter coming up with a really sweet moment between Aria and Mike (I mean, it's slightly one sided, but it's still nice) and you'll see EVERYTHING Aria is feeling in this next chapter. And yes, now the Liars can _really_ get their Nancy Drew on! Starting next chapter, the Liars are gonna really get into gear, they're taking the sleuthing up to 11. And haha, Myrtle is dramatic and annoying and overall entertaining, how could I not include her? Thanks again for the review :)  
NorthernSteelGirl: Thank you! Well, I would take that suggestion into account, but I've already written the whole thing so I can't really. And plus, Hermione works for the Ministry of Magic right now in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and everyone already knows who she is. She, Harry, and Ron are famous! Also, my first chapter was in the point of view of the Dark Lord. Go take a look :)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Thank you! And dude, I love Ezria, so keep the questions coming! Okay, so when the girls were first years, the seventh years were kinda... how do I put this nicely... assholes. Especially to muggleborns, regardless of year. But Ezra always showed kindness toward Aria, from the few encounters they had while they were in school together, and Aria has never forgotten that. Before he got a teaching job, he had a few jobs at Hogsmeade, working in pubs, and he and Aria would always see each other and talk. As time went on, they realized how much they had in common, and grew to fall in love. They started dating when she was a fifth year, writing letters back and forth to each other, until he wrote the fateful letter that he got a job at Hogwarts. Ever since then, they've dated in secret. Good enough back story for ya? And I hate when the Liars fight as well, but in this chapter Hanna definitely regrets all of that after seeing Mike. And you know what? As much as I wanted Voldemort gone as well, I liked his character. Especially in the sixth book, where we learn more about him. He was so complex and interesting. All of Rowling's characters are! And I've especially loved Mike this season. In season 2, Aria was seeking to protect him, and now he's seeking to protect her. I love it! And yes, it helps that he's an active member of the Ezria Fan Club with Spencer and Caleb. What position do you think he'd be? Treasurer? Secretary? VP?  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Good to have you back, mate! And you will, I believe in you! You love the show as much as I do, so you definitely have it in you! And well, I think it's no secret that Lucas definitely has feelings for Hanna. As for them getting involved, you'll just have to see how it pans out. And... well... I guess you're gonna end up not being pleased then... just kidding. OR AM I?! Now for your next review: I don't hate you at all! In fact, I like you quite a lot! Smashing hearts is an unfortunate consequence of being a writer, but you'll find out eventually that this had to happen. And I _thought_ it seemed very PLL-like, considering 90% of their screen time on the show has been spent in the bathroom. Thanks again for your reviews!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Wow, thank you so much! It's so good to know that all my work is paying off to the point that it kicks ass :) and well, looks like you're gonna find out what happens next sooner rather than later, because here's the next chapter coming your way!  
**

**Alright, next chapter. As far as I can tell, a lot of my reviewers are hardcore Ezria fans (based on the number of pleads and requests for a chapter/scene with them together), so I'm here to deliver them on a silver platter to you all. Ezra is here to save the day ladies and gents! Anyway, as I always say, enjoy this chapter, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! I'm almost at 100 reviews, and it'd be amazing if you all could get me there by this next chapter!  
**

* * *

Everyone began murmuring different things all at once. What happened to Mike? And _why_? What was he doing that could've led to this consequence.

"Oh, no," McGonagall whispered, barely loud enough for anyone to hear. "It can't be happening again."

Aria felt her breath catch in her throat. No. Mike couldn't be hurt. He had to be okay. Could what had happened to Mike have something to do with the fangs she and the girls were receiving? Was all of this her fault?

"Aria," Spencer said worriedly, and Aria blinked, suddenly transported out of her own thoughts and back into reality. She looked up at Spencer, who was looking down at her in concern.

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked.

Aria opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. She watched as McGonagall walked over to Mike, kneeled down, and pressed two fingers down on his wrist. After a few seconds, she let out a relieved sigh. "He still has a pulse."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, but Aria was still tense. That still meant Mike was at least _paralyzed_. And paralyzed still meant that he was in harms way, and that wasn't even remotely okay with her.

Just as everyone was getting used to the sight of Mike, still as a statue, on the ground, Madame Pomfrey shoved her way through the crowd, looking as frazzled as ever. She came up to McGonagall, and the two exchanged a hurriedly whispered conversation that no one could quite pick up on. Once they were finished, Pomfrey walked away from McGonagall, somehow now looking even _more_ frazzled, and held up her hand in the air to snap her fingers briskly. At once, a band of house elves came, hustling through the mob of people, parting quickly to avoid getting hurt, as they dragged a gurney behind them. Aria winced, turning away as the elves lifted Mike onto the gurney together, dragging him away.

"Alright, everyone," McGonagall said tiredly. "Back to class."

Everyone started heading in the direction of their classes, but the girls stopped short when McGonagall called for their attention. "Not you four."

They turned around to see the Headmistress looking incredibly distressed, but she tried to pull herself together and contort her face more into one of concern. "Miss Montgomery."

"Yes, Professor?" Aria asked weakly.

"As you might have guessed, your brother will be taken to the Infirmary. If you would wish to see him, I'll allow you to take some time away from your class to visit with him," McGonagall said caringly.

Aria smiled up at her appreciatively. "Thank you, Professor. I think I'll do that."

McGonagall gave her a warm smile before starting to walk away, but then she stopped short, turning around again. "I assure you, we _will_ find out who is responsible for this."

With that, she headed in the other direction, and the other three girls turned to Aria.

"You know you never answered my question," Spencer said, placing a hand on Aria's shoulder. "_Are_ you okay?"

"What Myrtle said in the bathroom," Aria squeaked. "Wha... what if the two are connected? Is someone after Mike in the same way that they're after us?"

"Slow down," Emily said calmly. "We don't even know if someone is _really_ after us."

Aria closed her eyes, letting a tear escape them as she angrily clenched her shaking fists. "When I find out who did this to him - "

"We'll find out later, okay?" Emily said reassuringly. "Don't worry about that now. Just go see Mike."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Hanna asked, her voice dripping with worry. All of her anger at Aria from earlier had totally vanished, replaced with complete sorrow for her friend.

Aria nodded her head, but then she felt another hand on her shoulder. It was a bigger, more masculine hand that clearly didn't belong to any of the other girls. She looked up, and found herself staring into the soft blue eyes of Ezra.

"Is it okay if I take her?" he asked the girls hopefully, his face filled with concern and sadness.

The girls looked to Aria for confirmation, and she slowly nodded her head, saying that it was okay. With a longing "feel better" hug and an optimistic hand squeeze from each of them, the girls were off. Aria watched them walk down the hall, their figures getting gradually smaller until shrinking out of sight, before she turned to Ezra.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to be seen like this," she whispered unsurely, ignoring his attempt at checking up on her.

He just subtly shook his head before nudging her in the direction of the Infirmary. "Relax, okay?" he said softly. "The staff will understand that you're shaken up. They won't want you going there on your own."

Aria just nodded her head as she walked beside him. "To answer your question..." She then bit her lip. "I don't really _have_ an answer to your question."

He smiled at this, flashing a charming, genuine grin that showed off all of his perfect teeth. "So... you're answering my question by _not_ answering my question?"

Aria managed to crack a tiny smile at this. "I'm serious, though," she said, shaking herself out of her trance. "I... I promised my parents I would keep an eye on him, and I already screwed up."

"You did not screw up - "

"Then why is he being dragged into the Infirmary by a bunch of _house elves_?" she snapped. "Oh wait, that's right, it's because he can't drag _himself_ there because he's _paralyzed_." She let out a shaky breath before putting her hand up to her forehead and groaning. "I'm a terrible sister."

"Breathe, Aria," Ezra said calmly, stopping now that they were in front of the Infirmary and pivoting himself so that he was facing Aria. He tilted her chin upward so that she was facing him. "You are not a terrible sister, you're doing the best you can. And he'll be _fine_. Pomfrey will nurse him back to health, and whatever happened to him will be in the past. Okay?"

Aria bit her lip nervously, before nodding her head. "Okay."

Ezra looked over, and saw that no one was nearby. He snuck a kiss on Aria's forehead. "I'm here for you. Remember that."

"I know," Aria mumbled.

Ezra looked down shyly then. "I know this is gonna be hard for you, but..." He then looked up, his blue eyes meeting her hazel ones. "You'll talk to me if you need me, right?"

"Of course I will," she said warmly, smiling up at him as she gave his hand a squeeze. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"You owe me for skipping out on our annual date," he whispered jokingly, causing Aria's jaw to drop in mock appall.

"I was helping Spencer with something!" she whispered back, causing him to giggle softly. In the morning before class, she had snuck off to his classroom, hoping no one would catch on to the fact that she didn't even _take_ History of Magic anymore, and told him that they would have to reschedule. He had been understanding, just as he always was. Even so, she couldn't be happier than she was now to have him here with her.

"I know," he said playfully, giving her a small grin. "Go see your brother."

Aria nodded her head, then stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking into the Infirmary. Ezra stared after her, mesmerized by the way her long brown hair fell perfectly down the frame of her back as she walked away from him, how gorgeous she looked in her robes, and he would give anything for her to turn around so he could gaze into her beautiful doe eyes once more. But once she walked in, she was out of sight. Ezra sighed before walking away, wishing more than ever that he could do something else to make her feel better.

* * *

**Side Note: Well, Ezria fans? Did I deliver? ;) There's your dose of Ezria that you've been waiting so patiently for, and I assure you that there is MORE to come! Alright, now for the bad news: this is gonna be my last update for a few days. Remember that trip I told you guys about? I was supposed to go on Sunday, but due to weather complications it got postponed to today. So I'm giving you guys one more chapter before I take off :) so, until we meet again (around Thursday/Friday, I believe), be sure to keep up your reviewing/following/favoriting streak that you've been doing such a good job with!**


	13. Chapter 13

**YOU FABULOUS PEOPLE GOT ME TO 100 REVIEWS! Thank you so so much, that is beyond awesome! Btw, congrats to Titanium Wolf for being my 100th reviewer, and thank you to everyone else for leaving those last 10 reviews that I need :D Now I feel horrible that I haven't been able to post chapters because I've been away, but I'll find a way to make it up to you! Now to _respond_ to your fabulous reviews:**

**TotalCowGirl: Mike is thankfully not dead, which is a plus, but he's still in deep danger :/ thanks for the review!  
Bagilia: So I take it you're a diehard Haleb shipper? Haha, I am too, I understand your excitement! And if I told you what I have in store for the happy couple, it would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it? And I can see Draco/Hermione together, but I'm happy with her and Ron. Still, I love Draco/I love him even more after watching all three AVPMs :) and I would _never_ make the Slytherins too guilty! I'm a Slytherin myself! We're the best, it's purely sacrilegious to show anything less than praise toward them. And well, Ron and Hermione's kids will be at least _mentioned_. This story focuses more on the PLL characters rather than the HP characters - I mean, they're already in the HP _worl__d._ The PLLs need a chance to shine, too! Anyway, thanks for your review, and hope to hear from you again soon!  
Ava B: I think it's safe to say Ezria will never learn the concept of being discreet, but that's why we love 'em, right? The Liars really are an old married couple, and a fantastic one at that :D and no, it's not weird at all! An Ezria fan club meeting between those three is definitely one for the books, _someone_ ought to right a fanfic on that! And thank you, my trip was very relaxing!  
LAs: If I were Aria/Aria's parents, I'd be mad at _someone_! At this point, Aria doesn't know _who_ to be mad at, so she's taking all of her anger out of herself for not doing a good enough job of protecting her baby brother :( and haha, that's fine, I'm just glad you're still with me!  
Goldenheart11: Yep! I'm true to my word! And well, in their defense, they gave us Ezria last episode with the last scene! My heart could hardly take it... and hahah McGonagall has to put up with so much shit, especially in this story! She's 10 hundred percent _done_ by this point! And well, you're going to see another interaction between Myrtle and Spencer, and it's kinda gonna be what you're expecting it to be ;)  
Sgdp1261: I've missed these two more than words can say. Writing for them has helped to repair the collateral damage that the show has done to my heart by breaking them apart. And as for last episode... aslkjlwjtpjapsjdflkajwlkj there was a conspicuous lack of Vanderjesus, which I did not appreciate, but that reveal with Cece made up for it completely. Predictable, yes, but it's still a freakin' ANSWER! So I'll take it. But if this is a red herring... and thank you, my trip was lovely!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Hey, you can't get mad at me for being away when you haven't PM'd me in forever! All jokes, of course :) and yes, Hufflepuffs are patient, hardworking, and all of the above. _Embrace_ it! Ezra would look quite adorable in robes... right now I'm picturing Ian Harding walking down the streets in his robes, just "_Stupefy!"-_ing away at anyone who questions his A-ness. "OR AM I?!" I was hoping you'd catch that ;) And I'm starting to notice how long my ANs are as well! It's because you all are so lovely and leave these long reviews, and I just want to get to every aspect of them!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Wow, thank you so much! You're review was so incredibly sweet :) and Aria and Mike really don't deserve this, but does _anyone_ on this show really deserve what's coming toward them? Just something to think about ;)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: I have to say, I might just look forward to your reviews more than anyone else's on any of my stories ever. Don't worry about the laziness! Better late than never, right? And yes, McGonagall is in my top 5 favorite characters in the books, in the movies, everywhere. She's brilliant and hilarious and caring and just overall amazing :D and right now, the head of Gryffindor is... *drumroll* Professor Longbottom! He's about in his 40s right now, that's an appropriate age. And as for Mike... you'll have to _see_! There's only been one attack, so the staff doesn't know if those precautions are necessary. And oh, I've been _waiting_ for your reaction to the Ezria! I edited the chapter to an _extreme_ to make them _perfect_ since I know you've been waiting patiently :) and you're right on the dot with the Congress of the Ezria Fan Club. Spencer would slap anyone in the face who tries to run against her for president, Caleb would back out knowing he doesn't want a face filled with Spencer-slap, and Mike would just sit it out as he gets all the benefits of the dough before him ;)  
Titanium Wolf: I love them too! And no worries, Ezria may be apart on the show, but they are still very much together :) thanks so much for the review, you rock!**

**And NOW for your chapter. There is a time-lapse here, incase that wasn't clear by the date at the top that is not in close proximity with September 1st/2nd/anything in September, _and_ entering the story now will be my personal favorite character on the show/on TV and media and books and PLANET EARTH ever... so now that my fangirling has subsided, enjoy this chapter AND don't forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know that you like it!**

* * *

**October 13th**

"Alright, guys," Mona Vanderwaal said authoritatively, standing at the front of the Great Hall near the furthest point of the House tables. "As you know, more than a month has passed since the... _incident_... in the hallway."

At this, Spencer hardly suppressed a scoff. _Incident_. It was more than an incident. Aria's brother had been paralyzed, none of the staff or students knew the cause, Mike hadn't even _moved_ since that day and was still in critical condition, and Aria hadn't been able to think straight ever since.

Mona caught onto the scoff, and her ears perked up immediately. "Is there something you'd like to share, Spencer?"

Spencer shot daggers at Mona with her eyes, but then managed to sit straight and find some form of composure, swallowing her pride whole. "No, there's not," she said through teeth so tightly gritted you could barely make out what she was saying. "Continue, Mona."

Mona gave a victorious grin as she turned back to the whole group, while Spencer tried her hardest to tune her out. She didn't even know why she attended these Prefect meetings anymore. With Mona as Head Girl, all Spencer ever wanted to do the entire time was slap Mona silly. But she knew that if that happened, not only would her Prefect privileges be revoked, but she'd also most likely be _expelled_.

"It's been pretty safe and uneventful in the halls ever since then," Mona continued haughtily, "but you've probably heard the news that Mike Montgomery isn't getting any better. Whatever happened to him, it's sticking."

At this, a small snicker was heard a few feet away. Andrew Campbell, who was standing up front next to Mona, leaning against one of the stone pedestals on the stairway up to the higher platform, bounced off of it and darted his eyes straight at Noel Kahn. "Noel!" he shouted, giving him an are-you-kidding-me face. "How could you even _possibly_ come up with an innuendo for that?"

"Easily," Mona muttered bitterly. "He wishes he could be sticking _something_ in that kid, that's for sure."

Noel's laughter dissipated completely, and he found himself blushing instead. A few others giggled quietly, and Mona just smirked confidently before turning away from him. Things were tense between them. From a distance, one would think it was because Noel had the maturity of a 12-year-old, merely getting by in school through his smile that took up most of his face, and no one was entirely sure _how_ he had gotten to be a Prefect; but it was actually because the two had dated for a while, closely after he had broken up with Aria, in fact; until he decided to leave her for Jenna, something Mona was never happy about.

Spencer had mixed feelings about this; she despised Mona, sure, but she wasn't sure if she despised her more or less than she did Noel, so she remained fairly neutral about the whole thing.

"As I was saying," Mona chirped, "we need to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. All of you need to be sure that you take your job of patrolling the halls more seriously. So..."

She took out her wand, gave it a flick, and the white sheet that was covering the easel beside her was lifted right off, revealing a seemingly complicated chart written in typewriter-neat handwriting. Mona then turned around excitedly, giving the crowd of Prefects a thousand-watt smile. "I made a schedule! This way you all can keep track of when it's your shift to patrol the halls and keep track of students. You know, send them back to class if they're wandering the halls, make sure none of them do anything stupid, that sort of thing. Also, we're going to be on the lookout for the culprit who is responsible for Mike's injury; see if they ever strike again on any other students. This will happen in the evening, as well as during classes, since we're permitted to skip class to follow through on duties."

"We made copies of the schedule," Andrew said as he pulled from behind him several pieces of parchment paper, one for each Prefect, and started to hand them out. "And that about concludes tonight's meeting! Remember everything we talked about, guys. Nice work."

Spencer curtly nodded her head before yawning quietly. She had a test in Astronomy tomorrow, and she had been studying her butt off all week. Now, all she wanted was to curl up in bed and get a good night's rest for once.

As everyone was gathering their things and getting ready to go up to the dorms, Noel stalked up to Mona. "What the hell was all of that about?" he said in a hushed tone.

"What?" Mona said innocently. "Is it so bad that I think you and Mike would make a cute couple? Way better than that one-eyed hag, that's for sure."

"Hey you leave her out of this!" Noel growled. Spencer laughed as she gathered the rest of her things. The three of them were the last people left in the Great Hall, and Spencer walked past them as she made her way out.

But Noel kept talking. "Why are you being such a bitch about this? You _know_ why I'm with her!"

At this, Spencer froze. _Why_ he's with her? Was she just being paranoid, and this was simply some catty gossip that she didn't need to keep up with? Or was there a deeper subtext behind it?

"Of course I know!" Mona whispered. "That doesn't mean I'm not gonna be bitter about it."

"Well tone it down!" Noel whispered back. As hard as he was trying not to draw attention to himself, he had caught Spencer's attention fully. Something was up.

"All I'm saying is I don't see what she has that I don't!" Mona said with a shrug. "I'm smart, I'm pretty, I have _two functioning eyes_ - "

"Her eyes are functioning, one of them just happens to be made out of glass," Noel said defensively.

"Oh, _okay_," Mona said mockingly. "My bad!"

"You know, you could try to be happy for me," Noel said through gritted teeth. "If you like me as much as you claim, you should just be happy that _I'm_ happy. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work in all of those sappy stories?"

"Whatever," Mona said, rolling her eyes. "At this point you've just _brainwashed_ yourself into thinking that you're actually happy, and I think we can both agree that our situation is fairly _different_ than those sappy stories."

There was something in Mona's tone that Spencer caught on to as she was a mere inch away from the exit - she was walking incredibly slowly so that she could catch onto whatever they were saying - and she froze. A _different situation_? What did that even _mean_?

"Look, let's not talk about this here," Noel whispered, and Spencer quickly walked out into the hall, but ducked behind a pillar outside of the door so that she could still listen in.

"She's gone now," Mona whispered back. "Everyone's gone! What better time to talk about this than now?"

Noel sighed. "Fine. We're still set for tomorrow?"

"Of course!" Mona said excitedly. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. And _you_ better not, either!" she added at the end, poking her index finger into Noel's chest.

"What, you think I'll bail on this?"

"All I know is that when you were with _me_, you did a lot better at staying on task," Mona said coldly.

Spencer's eyes widened. Staying on task with what? What were they _talking_ about? She tried to lean in to listen more closely, but their voices started to fade. They were walking in the other direction.

_Great_, Spencer thought glumly as she started to walk away. But she merely took 2 steps before walking into something hard.

Spencer stumbled backward while blinking a few times. She was disoriented, and her vision was badly blurred, yet she could still make out the tall, flawless figure in front of her.

"Toby?" she gasped, before he charmingly put a finger to her lips, silencing her. She stared down at it, before frustratingly shoving it away. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed!"

"No one's going to catch me, Spencer," he giggled as he put his arm around her. "And if they do, so what? If I get expelled, at least I get to spend my last moments at this school with you."

"Pssh, yeah," Spencer said sarcastically. "How romantic. You'd have to leave this school a year before graduating, but hey! At least you got to greet your girlfriend and walk her back to the dorm after her monthly Prefect meeting."

"I don't care," he whispered seductively in her ear he pulled away from her and started to run ahead.

"Are you insane?" Spencer said harshly, in a voice nearly above a whisper, before breaking into a run so that she could follow him.

_He's going to get me into so much trouble,_ she thought to herself. _This isn't even the way to the Slytherin Dungeons!_

She finally rounded a corner and caught up to him, out of breath. While she huffed and heaved, he stood straight and tall, seemingly unaffected by how quickly he just ran.

Spencer glared at him playfully. "Oh, you're in big trouble now," she said threateningly.

"What are you going to do to me?" he challenged. "Take ten points from Slytherin?"

Spencer just crossed her arms as she walked slowly toward him. "I'll show you what I'm going to do," she said softly, before tilting her chin upward to give him a supple kiss on the lips.

They stayed like this for a few moments, passionately holding each other as their lips met again and again, and for a minute Spencer completely forgot about the conversation between Noel and Mona that she had just witnessed. Toby had that power on her; he could make her forget absolutely anything going on in her life, simply by _being_ there.

She finally pulled away. "If someone finds out that I let you roam the halls at night like this - "

"Just tell them that you were taking me into custody _for_ roaming the halls at night," Toby said with a shrug and a cheeky grin.

Spencer rolled her eyes as she walked away. "Such a tease."

"How?" Toby asked as he caught up with her while they made their way toward the Slytherin Dungeons.

She just cocked an eyebrow upward as she looked at him. "You're asking me to _pretend_ to put you into custody? Why can't I actually do that?"

"You want to _imprison_ me?" Toby asked with a laugh.

"Yeah," Spencer said softly as she stopped to brush her body up against his. "What's sexier than your girlfriend holding you captive? In my _room_?"

"... Nothing," Toby agreed, baby blue eyes widened to their extent as Spencer planted another kiss on his cheek. Toby was stunned, but he found a way to compose himself as he kept walking.

"So," he began, "what's the deal with you eavesdropping on Noel and Mona?"

"What?"

Toby just gave her a knowing look, and Spencer sighed. "That obvious, huh?"

"Yeah," Toby said obviously, and Spencer looked up at him in shock. He held up his hands in defense. "Love you and all, but you're terrible when it comes to being discreet."

"Well, I don't need to be discreet," she said stubbornly. "It wasn't even important!"

"Oh?" Toby cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows so high up his forehead Spencer was surprised they didn't fly right off. "So what was it, then?"

"They were... arguing, like usual, and I was watching to see if anything interesting happened!"

Toby just looked at her inquisitively. Spencer trying to catch up on _gossip_? That seemed more like something Hanna would do. He knew something was up, but he seemed to be okay with just leaving it for now. Spencer was happy with that; she was mainly just impressed with how quickly she was able to spew that lie out.

They kept walking, until they reached the dungeons, where the entrance to the common room was located. Toby walked up to the stone wall. "_Pure-blood_."

At the password, the stone wall opened, revealing an entrance into a green-tinted room, surrounded with leather sofas and dark, wooden cupboards. The Slytherin common room.

Spencer turned to Toby. "I have to go up now, or I'll fall asleep on you."

"I'd be okay with that," he said with a sly grin. Spencer giggled lightly as she kissed him again, but she noticed him pulling back slightly on the kiss. She, too, pulled back to stare up at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

He looked down at her, concern swirling in his blue eyes. "You would tell me if something was going on, right?"

"Yeah..." she said warily, not sure where he was going. "Why?"

He opened his mouth, seemingly about to tell her something, but then he decided against it. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, muttered a "good night", and then hastily walked toward the staircase that led to the boy's dormitory, leaving Spencer behind, watching him in perplexity.

* * *

**Side Note: For all of the Spoby shippers out there :) also, MONA VANDERJESUS LADIES AND GENTS! I can't think of a better character on this show if I'm being completely honest (and I could not be happier with the timing of this chapter considering she wasn't even present for the last episode, which upsets me greatly). Well be seeing more of Mona I can say :) any theories on Noel and Mona? Sound off in the reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow, I still can't believe the response I got last chapter. You guys love your Vanderjesus, that's for sure (but hey, I really can't blame you. She's _Vanderjesus_, for crying out loud!)._  
_**

**Bagilia: Spencer and Mona have some chemistry on them. It's cuz they're SO much alike! And well, that might've been it ;) but I agree, Haleb is fantastic, and there really aren't a lot of Haleb fics out there. Fanfiction is OVERPOWERED by all of the Spoby and Ezria fans! Not that I blame them, of course, since both are wonderful couples, but still. We need more Haleb! I'm so upset that Caleb is leaving as well, but I'm gonna keep watching. See what happens. I just... CAN'T leave this show! It's impossible! So addicting. And I agree: Tom Felton, and MATTHEW LEWIS! Both are so hot, I can't choose. Thanks so much for the review, and SLYTHERIN BROS FOREVER!  
Sgdp1261: Ugh, Mona Vanderjesus. That. Girl. And that is SO typical PLL, you're right! She better be in the finale, or I'm gonna cut someone... I'm glad you liked the chapter! Noel is definitely being shady, and you'll find out why later... but it's not gonna be what you expect ;) and oh, Mona is DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY a Ravenclaw to the bone. I can see people sorting her into Slytherin because homegirl is evil as anything, BUT all of that evil comes from her brilliant, brilliant mind. She's the opposite of Spencer in that sense; Spencer builds up her knowledge to get somewhere, to be the best, but Mona is just ****_born_**** with that genius. She doesn't care about being the best, she just cares about being able to hold her smarts over everyone's heads :)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: So I take it you REALLY liked the Ezria last episode? Me too, hun. Me. Too. And my love for Mona has gradually been building up over time. First season I was like "meh, okay", second season she got AWESOME, and even MORE awesome when they revealed her as A... by season 3, ESPECIALLY 3B, I was bowing down, kissing the very ground she walked on. Also, Janel Parrish is, in my opinion, the most talented actress on that show. Every episode, she's given 3-5 characters to play, since Mona has so many different personalities, and she nails every single one of them. And Mike and Mona? Woah. I have never thought of that... I can see Mike and NOEL going out more, to be honest, especially since I'm really hoping Mike turns out to be gay. Wouldn't they make such a cute couple? :D although the M&M thing is intriguing... I haven't been feeling Spoby lately either, which is why I love writing for them here; it helps me to fall back in love with them :) and YES I saw the sneak peeks! "No, I don't do boxes." You can say THAT again! I feel like Aria must've developed some deep claustrophobia by now: she was shoved in a box with a dead body and almost pushed off of a moving train, and THEN she almost lost an eye getting stabbed in the crawl space! Seriously, though. A, we all know you're pretty easy on Aria, but GIVE THE GIRL SOME SPACE!  
TotalCowGirl: Thank you! :)  
Titanium Wolf: Haha, that evil laugh was very well played. And yes, things certainly have gotten interesting since Mona entered the scene. What is she up to? You'll just have to wait and see ;)  
Ava B: I miss Noel too! He was such an awesome villain, with his smolder and his smile that takes up half of his face ;) and Mona is very interesting, mainly because of how unpredictable she is. You just have no clue what she's going to do next, and the suspense and surprise is awesome! And you're right! Emily would make a lovely addition, she's always been a firm rider on the Ezria train :) with that swimmer's body, she'd make a great sergeant-at-arms, beating anyone to the ground if they speak out of turn during meetings, haha.  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Spencer being sneaky in the least sneaky way possible is such a Spencer thing to do :) well, Mona is jealous of Jenna to say the least since she still has feelings for Noel, I can say that... but whether there's more behind it like everyone thinks, that's for you to figure out! Glad you enjoyed the Spoby/the chapter, and it was awesome hearing from you again! Thank you so much, and never, NEVER apologize for long reviews! I love/cherish them more than anyone can ever understand XD  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Haha, I was _hoping_ you'd be happy with Vanderjesus! I tried to do her justice here, so hopefully that paid off! And thank you so much, once again :)**

**Alright, next chapter... I have a feeling a lot of you are not gonna be very happy with me after this :/ all I can say is to be patient, because things WILL turn around! So enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

That same night, Hanna was in the Hufflepuff common room, perched on one of the overstuffed mustard-colored sofas as she painted her nails orange and black for the Halloween ball coming up. She would've just done it up in her room, but it was a cluttered mess by now, and she was afraid she'd chip her nails on something.

Just as she was about to move on to her right hand, she heard the _tap-tap, tap-tap-tap_ just outside of the room of someone tapping against one of the barrels that were stacked up in a corner in the kitchen corridor. It was the code for entry: tapping the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff" on the second barrel from the bottom. Hanna then heard the _creeaakk_ of the lid opening, exposing a passageway into the common room. She turned to see who it was, but no one was there.

_That's weird_, she thought skeptically. "Hello?"

No one answered. Even weirder. "Helloooo?"

Silence still. The longer no one answered back, the more scared she became. What if it was the person who was behind the scam with the "A" fangs? Neither she or any of the girls had gotten anything else like it since the first time, and they were relieved at the time. But then they started to think: if this was truly over, wouldn't someone have said something? Wouldn't someone want to take credit for their stunt? Come out and say "gotcha!" while laughing their ass off? None of that happened, so Hanna and the others had a bad feeling that this wasn't over, and that it was going to get worse before it got better.

Hanna inched further up on the couch, fingers spread apart so the polish didn't smudge. Something wasn't right. She didn't know what it was, but it wasn't right.

Just as she was about to get up from the couch and go upstairs to the dorm, she heard a noise. She whipped around, shaking so badly that, out of context, one would think she was in the middle of an earthquake. But once she realized what the noise was coming from, she relaxed.

Caleb pulled off his Invisibility cloak, his face glowing with happiness. It immediately vanished, however, when Hanna smacked him as hard as she could.

"OW!"

"You scared the hell out of me!" Hanna snapped.

Caleb looked down at his arm, right on the spot where Hanna smacked him, before looking back up. "That _hurt_!"

"I don't care," Hanna said stubbornly, folding her arms over each other. "I was willing to do a lot worse when I didn't know who you were. You're just lucky that I _like_ you!"

"Jeez, you're jumpy," Caleb said incredulously as he rubbed his arm. "What's wrong?"

"... Nothing," Hanna proclaimed. "I just... I didn't know who you were, or why the door opened and no one came and... how in the hell did you even get an Invisibility cloak?"

Caleb just flashed another bright smile as he sat down on the couch, pulling Hanna down with him. "Thank the one and only James Potter."

Hanna sighed, finally managing to calm down. "Well, you caught me at a bad time," she pouted. "I look horrible."

He sat up on the couch, taking in the sight of her. Her golden hair was in a messy bun, and she had taken off every drop of makeup that she would normally wear. For all the makeup she wasn't wearing, she had replaced in articles of sweats: yoga pants, slippers, and a tie-dyed t-shirt in Hufflepuff colors.

Caleb smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her chastely on the lips. "You look perfect. And by the colors on your nails, I'm guessing your decking yourself out for Halloween?"

Hanna smiled, flashing a pair of pearly white teeth. "You would be correct! So don't touch them! They're still wet."

"Do you want me to dry them more quickly?" he said with a devious grin, twirling his wand in his hands, indicating he was willing to use a little magic to speed up the process.

"I'm good," Hanna said with a shrug.

"Really?" Caleb said, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice.

Hanna just cuddled into his side as she stared at the large wooden mantelpiece in the middle of the room, honey in color and engraved with carvings of badgers. It was an intricate masterpiece, and Hanna always found it pleasing to look at. "If they dried too quickly, I wouldn't have an excuse to stay down here and _wait_ for them to dry while I talk to you, now would I?"

"You have a point," he said with an affirmative head nod. "So, the Halloween ball. What are we going as?"

"Well, I had this great idea where we could both be house elves!"

"House elves?" Caleb repeated with a laugh.

"Yeah!" Hanna said excitedly. "Like, Aria used to always try to get me read Harry Potter's biography back when we were third years - "

"Did you?"

"Do I ever actually read anything?" Hanna said manifestly. "Anyway, she read it cover to cover several times and would tell me the entire plot anyway, to the point that by now I basically know the whole thing by heart, and I always thought Dobby and Winky would make a cute couple!"

"How?" Caleb asked. "They weren't even ever together in the book! They just talked about each other."

"Sometimes that's all you really need," Hanna said softly, looking up and into Caleb's caring brown eyes. She was trying to relay a message onto him: Caleb was trying really hard to be a good boyfriend, and was constantly checking up on her. He still had a feeling that something was up with the fangs, ever since he was there when Aria got hers, so Hanna knew by now that he was trying to be _protective_. But it was almost suffocating; she _loved_ Caleb, and she loved more than anything being able to spend time with him, and having him as company. Having him here with her right now made her extremely happy. He was more than just her boyfriend, he was her best friend. She could really tell him anything.

But not this. She couldn't tell him this and risk having him get hurt. She hardly knew anything about what she was dealing with, and she wouldn't put it past him to do something stupid once he found out. And when he kept hovering over her the way he was, it was hard to keep it a secret. Nevertheless, Hanna just wanted Caleb to know that she loved him just as much as he loved her, and that neither of them needed to prove it by being around each other all the time.

"Well, I'm exhausted," she finally said. "But thanks for coming! I'm going to go up."

Just as she started to get up from the couch and walk toward the stairwell, Caleb called her name.

She turned around to face him. "Yes?" she said slightly impatiently.

Caleb opened his mouth, with everything he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue. He ended up closing it and just staring at the floor, shuffling his shoes against the couch.

Hanna just stared at him. "Caleb, I don't have all night."

"I know you're hiding something from me," he finally blurted out.

Hanna's eyes widened, but then her features hardened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"See, that," Caleb said exasperatedly. "That right there. You're putting up walls, Hanna. You've never done that before. Why the hell are you starting now?"

"I'm not putting up walls!" she snapped. "You need to get over yourself, Caleb. Just because I want to go upstairs and _sleep_ doesn't automatically mean that I'm avoiding you!"

"But you _are_ avoiding me!" he said bluntly. "Everytime I try to get close to you, you're all distant or scared. Or you're your bubbly self for a few minutes, and then there's this.. awkward tension between us and you try to get out of it!"

"I just have a lot of stuff going on, Caleb!" Hanna retorted.

"So something _is_ going on," Caleb said affirmatively as he got off the couch, taking slow, purposeful steps toward her. "_Stuff. _Those fangs. The ones that Aria and Spencer got."

"What about them?" Hanna said irritably, but she wasn't careful enough to hide the touch of fear in her voice. She still hadn't told him that she had received one as well, or Emily.

Caleb raised his eyebrows at her. "Did they get them again?"

"No," Hanna said honestly, crossing her arms over herself. "They didn't get anything since then. I told you, it was a prank."

"Did they find out who did it?"

"No, we didn't," Hanna said, shaking her head.

"Wait, _we_?" Caleb repeated, shocked. "Hanna, you're getting involved in this?"

"How can I not, Caleb? They're my best friends - "

"You got one too, didn't you?" he finally said, and Hanna stopped short. _Damn_, he was good.

At her hesitation, Caleb cracked. "Hanna, I can't believe you! I could've _helped_ you figure this all out! And now that you're involved - "

"I told you, this ended right when it started, Caleb," Hanna barked.

"But you don't even know who did it!" Caleb barked back. "Hanna, a lot is going on right now. That fire in the Ravenclaw common room? It was huge. Whoever did this to you, or is _still_ doing this to you, they're not playing around. Mike Montgomery still hasn't woken up, and currently looks like something out of a muggle zombie movie. What if that happens to you?"

"Please," Hanna said breezily. "If that ever happened to me, I'd look _way_ better than a zombie."

"Hanna..." Caleb started exasperatedly.

"How can you even be so sure that those two are connected?"

"I won't know until I find out, now will I?" Caleb shouted.

"No," Hanna said simply. "I won't let you get involved in anything. Nothing is happening right now, therefore there's nothing for you to do. Just relax, okay? _Relax_."

Caleb huffed loudly, but finally grabbed his cloak and got ready to wrap it around himself. But before he did, he looked up to stare right into Hanna's eyes. "Goodnight, Hanna," he said coldly before draping the cloak over himself and stalking out of the room.

Hanna groaned. Great, now she'd done it. For whatever reason, Caleb couldn't seem to let go of this, even though there was seemingly nothing to let go of!

_He'll get over it,_ she thought to herself as she made her way over to the stairwell.

At least, she _hoped_ he'd get over it.

* * *

**Side Note: ****References? There's one that you might not get, but if you do I'll be quite impressed. Other than that, this chapter makes me so sad. Hate seeing Haleb fight :( wait for it though! For now just keep swimming... despite some shit going down this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know if you did!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright, so the reference was actually a reference to Ezria from 1x22, when he tells her he got a job at Hollis and she punches him: "OW!" "You scared the hell out of me." "That hurt!" "I don't care!" SO cute, and shoutout to Erica, Junebug107, XD Now your reviews:**

**Bagilia: Anddd there's the wrath :/ don't worry, it's just a spat! You're going to see some unbelievably cute moments with them coming up, I promise! And oh man, when Dobby died in the books, and I'm not kidding when I tell you this: I _threw_ the book across the room, screamed, and sat and cried on my bed for about an hour, I was so upset. And then the process repeated itself when I watched the movie, AND every time I go and rewatch the scene (why I rewatch that scene I have no idea. It kills my heart). And yeah, I don't know how successful Ravenswood is gonna be, but I mean I don't want it to _fail_ because I think Tyler Blackburn deserves a break like this (although I know he's gonna miss everyone on PLL, poor guy). And agreed, the entire HP cast is incredibly good lookings. It's those British genes! And welp, there's my first death threat. Awesome ;) no worries, you will get your Haleb, and it will be AWESOME! Promise :D  
Sgdp1261: Haleb fighting is actually such a staple for them, haha. But it's all out of love, so it works out :) and Dobby is my all time favorite Harry Potter character, he's so fiercely loyal and adorable that it's impossible NOT to love him! Thanks again for the kind words!  
Titanium Wolf: Caleb is pretty brave when it comes to Hanna, but you're right; he's getting into something he'll probably regret later :/ and you'll find out more about all of the girls in this coming chapter!  
Erica: Yep, you got it! Thanks for the review!  
TotalCowGirl: Thanks! :)  
Junebug107: You'll get your dose of Ezria in a coming chapter, I promise :) in fact, next chapter they're not exactly _together_, but they're both in it, so that counts for something, right? Ermm you'll just have to see. And thank you!  
Goldenheart11: Don't worry about it! You're reviewing now, aren't you? And please, Mona probably already HAS a cult. That. Girl... enough fangirling about Mona. I need to cut myself off. And I never get tired of your praise for my Caleb. Thank you _so_ much! Hopefully I can keep delivering him to you in perfect character! Thanks again for the review, you're awesome :)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Well I'm pretty small, too, and I'm still slightly claustrophobic, so the roominess doesn't have much to do with it. Just the feeling that you're _trapped_. And haha, sorry about that! Don't worry, these two crazy kids can't stay away from each other for long ;) thanks again!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: You are _such_ a Hufflepuff! But the Hufflepuff common room is the coziest, seriously. They even have _footwarmers_, I think! Meanwhile everyone in the towers is freezing their butts off. And I actually have a shirt tie-dyed in Hufflepuff colors! It's for Wake Forest University, though, but it's yellow and black. And no worries, you have plenty of time to guess the references in other chapters! Thanks again for reviewing :)**

**Okay, so THIS chapter is lonnnggggg. I think it's my longest one yet, but it's also one of my favorites because the four girls are together, just nonstop processing everything going on around them like the dysfunctional humans that they are :D so hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and do NOT forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know if you liked it!**

* * *

Emily glided through the Great Hall on the balls of her feet, two cups of coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. The first Quidditch game of the season was tomorrow, and it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. She may not have gotten Seeker like she wanted, but she wasn't going to let that get her down. And Paige had been nothing but encouraging at every practice, cheering Emily on every time she blocked the Quaffle, showering her with compliments, saying that being Keeper suited her _so_ much more than Seeker. Emily highly doubted that, but she supposed being Keeper wasn't all that bad.

At least, she tried to _tell_ herself that it wasn't all that bad.

She walked over to the Slytherin table, where Spencer was flipping through a textbook, seemingly trying to cram a bunch of information into her head. Emily let out a small laugh as she placed the coffee cup on the table and slid it over to Spencer. It took a moment, but finally Spencer looked up from her book. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as she greedily grabbed the cup. "Where'd you get this?"

"MacKenzie Albright snuck some coffee beans from the greenhouse," Emily explained as she sat down across from Spencer. "He always makes everyone on the team a pot a couple days before a game."

"Why not just give it to you the day of the actual game?" Spencer asked as she took a sip of the steaming hot liquid.

"Because he's afraid we'll test positive for steroids," Emily said with an eyeroll, evoking a small giggle out of Spencer, who eventually set the cup down, looking up at Emily gratefully.

"Thanks, Em," she said tiredly. "I needed this. I didn't sleep at all last night."

"Why not?" Emily asked worriedly as she furrowed her brow.

Spencer hesitated. She wanted to tell Emily about the conversation between Mona and Noel that she found suspicious, _and_ she wanted to tell her about how she felt like Toby might know something. After he went up to the dorms the previous night, Spencer had just stared after him, processing what had just happened. He had wanted to confirm that she would tell him if something was wrong; that could either mean he was insecure about his stance as her boyfriend, _or_ that he had caught on by now that something really was wrong. The girls hadn't received the fangs in over a month, and they were ready to pull their hair out at what that could really mean.

But Spencer didn't voice all of this out loud. She just took another swig of her coffee before wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her robe. "I have an Astronomy test today."

"Oh, so that's why you're cranking out the books," Emily said as she nodded her head understandingly.

"Please, when does Spencer _not_ crank out the books?" a playful, yet exhausted, voice sounded from behind. Spencer and Emily both turned around to see Aria slide into a seat next to Spencer, with a plate of pancakes and fruit in her hand, her hair in a low ponytail, and dark, prominent circles under her eyes.

Spencer and Emily felt horrible. This whole thing with Mike had stretched on for a while, and it was the talk of all the school. Aria was not taking it well.

"How're you holding up, sweetie?" Spencer asked sweetly as she wrapped an arm around Aria's narrow shoulders.

Aria mildly shrugged as she leaned into Spencer's embrace. "I've been better," she said in a hoarse voice that didn't sound very much like her own. "Madam Pomfrey said I could go visit Mike again today."

"Well that's good!" Emily piped in.

"No, it's not," Aria said sadly as she shook her head. "Everytime I go in there, it's the same thing. He's not getting better at all. That woman isn't doing anything for him. He's basically just lying there like a log!"

"Okay, you need a sip of coffee," Spencer said in a problem-solving tone as she reached for her cup and handed it to Aria. "Or maybe... five."

Aria gratefully took a sip. "Thanks," she said before setting it down. "But guys, I'm worried. The fangs - "

"Ugh, it feels so good to finally hear someone else say it out loud," Hanna said exasperatedly as she popped in out of nowhere and sat down as well, next to Emily and across from Aria and Spencer. "The fangs. So I'm not the only one who thinks it's a little weird? That we just randomly get these seemingly threatening fangs out of nowhere and then it just _stops_? With no explanation at all?"

"No, of course you're not the only one Hanna," Spencer assured. "We're all thinking the same thing."

"I keep replaying that day in my head," Aria said quietly. "I keep thinking about the fire when I got my fang... what if something similar happened to Mike?"

"What are you saying?" Spencer asked curiously, closing her Astronomy book so that she could pay closer attention.

"I'm saying... what if we're not the only ones who got fangs?"

"You think Mike got one too?" Emily asked skeptically.

"It's possible!" Aria whispered. "I mean, don't you guys think it was a little sudden?"

"But if other people were getting fangs, don't you think we'd hear about it by now?" Emily pointed out.

"Not if everyone is keeping it to themselves like we are," Aria reasoned. "We've been so hushed up about it because we don't want other people getting involved. What if it's the same thing with said other people?"

"Aria has a point," Spencer agreed. "It makes more sense if other people are getting fangs too. Why would someone go after just the four of us?"

"But that doesn't tell us anything," Hanna said impatiently. "What are we supposed to do? Go around to every student in the school and interrogate them? I doubt running an official survey with _The Daily Prophet_ is going to tell us anything."

"Okay, maybe you need a sip of coffee, too," Spencer muttered, an annoyed look on her face as she turned to Emily. "You should've brought more cups."

"I only have two hands!" Emily retorted.

"Sorry, but I did not sleep well last night," Hanna whined. "Caleb has been all over me."

"I don't need to know that!" Spencer said, repulsed, as she threw her hands up in disgust.

"Okay, not like that," Hanna said snarkily. "Well... okay maybe a little like that. But _that_ part I actually enjoy!"

"_Hanna_," Aria interrupted as she snuck another sip of Spencer's coffee. "Skip to the point. What's going on with you and Caleb?"

"He thinks something's up with the fangs," Hanna explained bitterly, turning to Aria. "Ever since you got that fang in the Ravenclaw common room, he's been freaking out."

"Have you told him anything?" Spencer asked frantically.

"I told him to stay out of it!" Hanna insisted. "I said that it was a stupid prank and that it ended the second it started."

"Then why is he still hot on the A trail?" Aria asked.

"He's like... Hannibal Lecter smart," Hanna said knowingly as she put her arms on the table to rest her chin on them. "He thinks it's suspicious that they just stopped, and he says that judging by that fire, whoever is behind this is dangerous."

"Well he's basically thinking everything we're thinking," Spencer surmised.

Hanna just groaned loudly, evoking a few stares from nearby students who were nonchalantly chewing on their French toast. "We got in this huge fight last night. He's furious with me."

"He'll get over it," Emily said comfortingly as she put a hand on Hanna's back, rubbing it soothingly. But suddenly her head snapped up as he looked over at Spencer and Aria in confusion. "Was I the only one who actually got sleep last night?"

"Looks like it," Spencer said glumly.

"Don't let us get to you though, Em," Aria said encouragingly, forming as big of a smile as she could manage with the little energy she had. "We promise we'll be all bright eyed and bushy tailed when we're cheering you on at the game tomorrow."

"Yeah," Spencer piped in. "We'll be sitting front and center so we can be the first people to see you when you catch that Snitch."

Emily's heart sank. She still hadn't told the girls that she had lost the Seeker position to Lily Potter. "Well... you probably won't considering I won't be going after it."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Spencer asked curiously, and Hanna lifted her head from her arms to stare at Emily.

Emily chewed on her bottom lip nervously before blurting out the truth. "Ilostseekertolilypotter."

All she got was a bunch of blank stares. "Okay, what the hell did she just say?" Hanna asked the other two girls bluntly, before turning to Emily again. "Slow down this time!"

Emily just sighed glumly. "I lost the position of Seeker."

"_What?!_" all three girls exclaimed.

Emily nodded mournfully. "I'm a Keeper this year. Lily Potter finally beat me out for Seeker."

"But that's not fair," Spencer said angrily. "You've been Seeker for the last six years, Em! Lily's a fourth year, she's got plenty of time to get it!"

"Did you just have a bad tryout or something?" Aria said softly, trying to make sense of this.

Emily shook her head. "No," she whispered. "That's why I didn't tell you guys."

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked innocently.

Emily sighed as she leaned across the table, keeping a wary eye out for anyone could be listening. Scorpius Malfoy was all the way at the other end of the table, sloppily shoving a muffin in his mouth while his friends guffawed like it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen, and on the other side of them were a couple first years who were excitedly slurping on their spoons of Cheerios while talking about the Halloween ball coming up. No one seemed to be paying Emily or the girls any mind, meaning it was safe to tell them.

"I caught the Snitch in the scrimmage, and it exploded," she explained, "so Albright revoked my position."

"Are you serious?!" Aria almost shouted, almost forgetting where they were and the respectable volume her voice should be at.

"Yes," Emily whispered, trying to keep her voice down the best that she could.

"Em, you can't let him do that - "

"He's the captain," Emily said morosely as she put her head in her hands. "He _can_ do that."

"But Emily, do you realize what this means?" Spencer squeaked, her eyes wide. "I think whoever planted the fang in there _wanted_ you not to get Seeker."

"What?" Emily cried quietly, and then without even taking a breath immediately whipped around to face the Gryffindor table, narrowing her eyes at Lily Potter, who was having a calm conversation with Ben Coogan over at the Gryffindor table as she sunk her teeth into a blueberry muffin.

Hanna followed her gaze, but then pulled Emily back. "Em, I doubt it's Lily. What would she have against all four of us?"

"I don't know," Emily growled, "but I'd be willing to go over there and find out."

"Okay, now we're just getting sloppy," Aria said frustratedly. "I don't think it was Lily, but I think that if whoever is behind this was planning on sabotaging Emily in some way..."

"And they succeeded..." Hanna continued.

"Then we're probably next," Spencer said softly, before poking her head up, a fierce look in her brown eyes. "I'm not letting that happen, guys. I'm not."

"What are you saying, Spence?" Hanna asked.

"I'm saying we should tell someone about this," Spencer said, speaking as though she had come to some mind bending revelation that could help them all. But they all just stared at her.

"Look, I don't know _who_ this person thinks they are with their 'A's and their fangs, but we're not gonna let them get to us!" Spencer said determinedly.

The other three girls just continued to stare at Spencer as though she had just told them that the four of them were going to break into Gringotts by snagging a polyjuice potion that would turn them all into goblins. Spencer just gave them a quizzical look. "C'mon guys, what's the worst that could happen?"

"That person could want _revenge_ on us for telling on them?" Hanna pointed out.

"I don't think we should tell someone just yet," Aria said timidly. "I think we should wait and see if it gets worse. The last thing we want is to embarrass ourselves."

After a minute, Spencer just sighed. "You're right," she said defeatedly before staring straight over to the Gryffindor table, where Noel Kahn was nimbly twirling his wand between his fingers in one hand, and with the other hand he was rubbing circles on Jenna Marshall's palm with his thumb, gazing lovingly into her eyes as he told her what was probably meant to be sweet nothings, but Spencer presumed it to be absolute bullshit. She then averted her eyes over to the Ravenclaw table, where Mona was trying to keep her eyes on the scrambled eggs in front of her, but couldn't help herself from turning around to stare at Noel and Jenna with a jealous glint in her eyes.

"We'll find out more, and then we'll lunge when the going gets tough," Spencer plotted, never taking her eyes off of Noel and Mona.

"Sounds good," Aria agreed as she started to stand up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Hanna asked.

"To see Mike," Aria answered, after taking in a big gulp of air and then letting it out in one short, sharp breath.

"So early?"

"Ezra doesn't have a class this morning, so I'm going to talk to him afterward," Aria explained in a whisper. "I think we could both use the company."

"Okay, that sounds good," Spencer said with a nod as she brought the cup of coffee to her lips, taking a nice, long sip, before letting go to look up at Aria concernedly. "Feel better, okay?"

"Thanks." And with that, Aria got her things and left the table, leaving her seemingly full plate of food as well.

Spencer took note of this, and didn't hesitate to point it out. "Did she even eat this morning?"

"Aria hasn't eaten since September 2nd," Hanna said bluntly. "That girl does not do well under stress."

"None of us do," Emily said gloomily. "With all this training for Quidditch and stress from the fangs, I haven't been able to stomach anything. You'd think I'd have an ulcer or something!"

"Wait... what does food have to do with memory loss?" Hanna asked, only to earn befuddled stares from both Spencer and Emily. "What?"

"Isn't an ulcer when you forget everything?" Hanna asked tentatively as the other two stared at Hanna in complete shock.

"Ummm... that's alzheimer's, Hanna," Spencer said slowly. "An ulcer is a break in the membrane surrounding an organ - "

"In English, Spencer," Hanna said impatiently.

"It's like... having a hole in your stomach," Spencer offered up.

"A _hole_ in your stomach?" Hanna repeated, eyes bulging. "Ew, why would I want a _hole_ in my stomach?"

"That's the thing, you don't," Spencer explained. "It's extremely painful."

"Must be," Hanna said incredulously. "I mean, if there's a _hole_ in your stomach - "

"Okay can we not talk about holes in stomachs at the table?" Emily said as she wrinkled her nose, forcing down a sip of her coffee. "I'll be lucky if I ever get my appetite back."

"Yeah I guess so," Hanna muttered. "Especially after getting holes in your stomach."

"_Moving on_," Spencer said sternly.

"You know what, whatever," Hanna said finally as she stood up from the table. "I have to go."

"Already?" Emily complained.

"Yes," Hanna hissed. "In case you've forgotten, there is someone that I need to _avoid_."

"What?"

Hanna averted her eyes toward the Ravenclaw table. Emily and Spencer spotted Caleb, chatting up a few other boys as he took a bite of his eggs, which he had promptly drowned in ketchup.

Emily made an "o" shape with her mouth and motioned for Hanna to get up and go, which she did. It pained her to see Hanna have to go to these extreme measures to avoid Caleb, but Hanna was especially testy this morning, as she always was when she and Caleb got in an argument, so Emily wasn't going to push her.

As soon as Hanna was out of sight, Emily turned to Spencer. "What do you think, Spence?"

"About what?" Spencer asked, still not taking her eyes off of Mona and Noel.

"Do you think someone really wanted me to not get Seeker on purpose?" Emily asked timidly. "Do you think someone really wants to hurt us?"

Spencer froze, and turned to Emily. She opened her mouth to say something, but she really didn't know what to say. She had never seen Emily as a weak person; in fact, she was one of the strongest people she had ever known. Emily had dated a boy on the Quidditch team, Ben Coogan, for several years, and they were known as the "power-athletic couple" at Hogwarts. But Toby had been telling Spencer for ages that he kept seeing Emily looking at another girl; looking at her in a _loving_ way. Spencer didn't believe him at first, but then she, as well as the other girls, started noticing it too. Even so, they were completely knocked off their feet when Emily confessed to everyone that she was head over heels in love with Maya St. Germain.

The fact that Emily had to hide that for so long, but had the courage to come out with who she really was, moved Spencer greatly, and she and the other girls' opinions of Emily were never swayed even for a second; she was still the Emily they had all grown to love since their first year, and that wasn't going to change just because she happened to like someone else.

Spencer had promised to be there for her when students, especially Ben and his old cronies, gave her a hard time, and she was there _especially_ when Emily would sulk around the school for days after Maya, her girlfriend of 4 months, got expelled for being caught with the Felix Felicis potion, and a huge cauldron of it, which she used as a boost of good luck to not fail out of school. Emily would constantly cry and scream that it wasn't fair, that students everywhere used potions and didn't get caught with it, and neither Spencer, nor any of the other girls, had ever seen her so broken.

And yet somehow, Emily had found a way to move on, and she even found a way to date someone else; Paige, whom it took awhile for Spencer to warm up to at first because she and Emily were so different, but she then saw how they were like hands in gloves when they were together. That made Emily as strong of a person if Spencer had ever seen one. But she was still fragile, and Spencer didn't know how to tell her that yes, she really _did_ think someone wanted to hurt them.

"Spencer?" Emily asked again, her voice cracking slightly, breaking Spencer out of her thoughts, but before Spencer could respond, Professor McGonagall made a beeline for them.

"Ah, Miss Fields," she simpered sweetly. "Enjoying a nice conversation with Miss Hastings here?"

"Yes, Professor," Emily said with a head nod after nervously clearing her throat.

"Perhaps you're talking about the first Quidditch game of the season coming up tomorrow?" McGonagall said pompously. Spencer bowed her head; she didn't like where this was going.

"Yes, Professor," Emily - who, unlike Spencer, didn't even _see_ where this was going - said again.

"Right... well wouldn't it be a shame if you had to _miss_ out on that?"

Emily's eyes widened. "Ummm..."

"Exactly," McGonagall said sharply. "Five points from Gryffindor, and if you don't go back to your table _now_, I'll make it ten _and_ bench you for tomorrow's game." And with that, McGonagall spun around, her cloak flowing gracefully behind her as she did so, and marched away.

Emily rolled her eyes as she turned back to Spencer, who was stunned. "That was pretty harsh."

"She's been on everyone's asses for the past month," Emily said exasperatedly. "She's really stressed out, but no one really knows why."

"Well, it could've been worse!" Spencer offered up. "I mean, she could've caught us in the act of drinking coffee."

Emily smiled at this, then stood up from the table, taking McGonagall's order into account. "Well, I'll let you get back to your studying."

"Huh?" Spencer said abruptly. She had completely forgotten about her Astronomy test at this point; she was too busy staring a hole into both Noel and Mona's skulls and thinking about how badly she wanted to protect Emily and the other girls. "Oh, right. Okay!"

"Sorry, it's just..." Emily glanced over toward the Gryffindor table, where Paige was sitting with the rest of the Quidditch team, laughing as she sipped her coffee. She caught on to Emily staring at her, motioning for her to join, love shining in her deep brown eyes. Emily found herself blushing, and Spencer caught on.

"Emily," Spencer said with a giggle. "Go! Enjoy yourself, okay? You should be able to play tomorrow. At least one of us should be happy."

"Okay, I'm going!" Emily said, laughing along, as she stood up from the table, but she didn't get very far before Spencer called her name again.

"Hey Em?"

"Yeah?" Emily said, whipping around to face Spencer.

"Kick ass tomorrow," Spencer said, as straightforward as possible, a look of ferocity on her face. "Seeker or not, just kick serious ass. And know that we're proud of you."

Emily found herself grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, I will!" she said confidently before she sauntered away toward the Gryffindor table. Spencer watched her go, but then looked back at Noel, and looked back at Mona, then repeated the process.

There was something she needed to do.

* * *

**Side Note: So it's official. Emily did not get seeker. Such a shame :( and if no one gets the references in this chapter I will be more than disappointed. Review with your guesses!**


	16. Chapter 16

**So... many... REVIEWS! You all are the greatest and I hope you remember that forever. Congrats to everyone who got the references! And speaking of REFERENCES:**

**"Caleb has been all over me." "I don't need to know that!" 3x02 (Shout out to CalebAndHannaForever, Ava B, Bagilia, and ShadowsOnTheMoon for getting it!)  
"Hot on the A trail." Hanna said this in 2x22  
"Hannibal-Lecter smart." 4x01 (Shout out to Ava B, Bagilia, Goldenheart11, and ShadowsOnTheMoon for getting this one!)  
"Okay, what the hell did she just say?" Hanna to Spencer, 4x01  
****And of course the entire "Hole in your stomach" conversation from 2x08 XD (Shout out to Sarah, Goldenheart11, HP and PLL fan, Titanium Wolf, Bagilia, Sgdp1261, and ShadowsOnTheMoon!)**

**And shoutout AGAIN to Ava B, who pointed out references in her review that I didn't even pick up on! You rock, sis.**

**NorthernSteelGirl: No, I'm not from Pennsylvania. I was just there recently though, in Ligonier. So pretty. I'm from Virginia! Where are you from?  
Sarah: Well first of all, my name is Sarah, too, so you're automatically awesome :D second of all, THANK YOU! So great to meet a fellow BooRadleyVanCullener, I've been trying to get Heather to read my story. She favorited one of my tweets about it, but idk if she's read it yet :/ one can hope! I'm so so SO glad you liked Mona; I've been trying really hard to write her well, because a poorly written Mona is like giving someone rocky road ice cream without the marshmellows; it's a waste. Hope to see you reviewing more often, you're great!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Haleb is quite adorable :D thanks for the kind words, and don't worry about not reviewing last chapter! Good to have you back, though, ****_and_**** good luck getting ready for college!  
HP and PLL fan: Your pen name is quite appropriate for this story :) thank you!  
CalebAndHannaForever: Blood is the New Black, actually. But you still got it!  
Ava B: Not a problem! Thanks for the review anyway, ****_and_**** for guessing the reference correctly :) I wouldn't be surprised if there was a bromance between James and Caleb. Both are pretty mischievous, so it makes sense. And I love the part with Spencer and Aria as well! I can't pass up an opportunity for some good old Sparia, they're too perfect ;D and yeah, poor Em isn't Seeker like she wanted to be :( stupid A didn't want her getting the position she wanted! And yeah, Maya is alive and well!  
Titanium Wolf: Mike is definitely petrified, and as for what McGonagall thinks, you're going to see some of that this chapter, actually. Stay tuned!  
Bagilia: I ****_promise_****, I'm actually a nice person in real life! Not the slightest bit evil! I mean, I do a mean evil laugh, but I'm not evil! It's just for the sake of the story/plotline, you'll see how it's important. And I love Spanna! I mean, Team Sparia all the way, personally, but Spanna is entertaining :) and I read something on the significance of the deaths in Harry Potter: Dobby was to show that even the smallest creatures can die a hero's death. My heart :'( and oh man... now I'm scared to see your wrath. And you won't get Haleb this chapter, but you've got an amazingly cute chapter with them coming up. Remember, they're not broken up! Just a small spat between them.  
TotalCowGirl: Yeah, Emily didn't get seeker unfortunately :( thanks for the kind words!  
Sgdp1261: The girls have been bickering especially this season, and it's so entertaining because we don't have to worry about it; we're so far into the series that we ****_know_**** that it's all out of love. And that description was nothing short of perfectly accurate. Basically all of the Liars' scenes together to a T. Thanks for the review!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Wait, that's so true. When are the girls NOT drinking coffee on the show?! And the friendship between the four girls is so, so beautiful. I would kill to have a friendship like that in real life. Thanks so much for the review, and no worries about updating ASAP. I do updates daily anyway! :)  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: GOD DAMMIT HOW COULD I FORGET?! Aww, now I'm never gonna forgive myself for excluding that... and interesting that you're suspicious of Caleb... ;) And Spencer thinks the world of Emily. In fact, Spencer thinks the world of all of the girls! They all look up to each other in so many ways and rely on each other so much, I love it. And do you expect anything less from Spencer? To quote Aria, "Spencer ****_bleeds_**** caffiene!" Thanks so much for the review, once again :)  
Goldenheart11: Yeah, Emily did deserve it, but when 'A' is on the loose, the girls don't always get what they deserve :( and well, while Spencer's mindset can come in handy, it can also get her in trouble, and you'll actually see a little bit of that later on in the story. Looks like you'll just have to keep reading ;) and indeed, Aria is going through a tough time, and you'll see that especially in this chapter. I advise grabbing the nearest box of tissues and holding it close to you... Thanks again for reviewing!**

**This chapter is kinda sad ;( at least, the beginning is. Toward the middle, it gets pretty humorous, so hopefully you'll appreciate that! So enjoy, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

* * *

"I'll allow you 2 more minutes, then I have to send you back to class, okay?"

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Aria said as she turned away from her ailing brother to smile up at the nurse. But as soon as Pomfrey walked away, Aria's smile dissipated. She turned back to Mike, knees on the floor as she knelt beside the bed, running her fingers through Mike's velvety brown hair, longing for him to shove her away in annoyance like he usually did. After a minute, she ran her fingers from his hair down to his pale face. His skin felt cold and papery; it was unlike the smooth, warm texture she was used to.

"You're so cold," she whispered sadly, as though he would respond. She knew he wouldn't, but Madam Pomfrey told her time and time again that talking to Mike would help him in the end. Aria still didn't see how, but she was willing to try anything.

"You know," she began again, "you're almost as cold as you were when you rode your bike in the rain that one time." She sat up a little as she continued. "I think you were 7, and for whatever reason Mom thought it would be a good idea to let you ride your bike around the neighborhood on your own... and it started pouring." Aria then found herself giggling. "You walked into the house, and your clothes just stuck to you everywhere and you were shivering and grumbling..."

But Aria stopped laughing once she realized she had no one to laugh with. How Madam Pomfrey didn't think she was crazy was beyond her.

Nevertheless, she kept talking. "The weird thing was, you went upstairs, and Mom asked me to go up to check on you... and when I got up there 2 seconds later you were completely dry..."

She remembered that day vividly, as though it had just happened. Mike had walked through the door with a sour look on his face as his clothing dripped with rainwater. Aria had been sitting at the kitchen table, sketching the embroidery of her mother's apron on a sheet of paper, when he walked in, and she had impulsively burst out laughing, which caused Mike to fall into a fit of pouting as he went up the stairs. Aria's mother had scolded Aria, sending her up to his room to apologize, but the minute Aria got up there and set eyes on him, there wasn't a single damp spot on him.

Aria started showing symptoms of being magic, even if she didn't know it at the time, by the time she was 10, but Mike started showing them a little earlier. It frustrated him, not knowing what was wrong with him, and it caused him to get bitter at times. He would talk back, he would throw things, and he would lounge around in his room, not wanting to be near anyone. Aria remembered one time he had lashed out and accidentally hurt their mother, and she had walked past his room later that evening to find him crying on his bed.

It was in that moment that Aria knew she would do anything to protect Mike, in the same way she would right now. But she couldn't do anything, and it was killing her.

A tear slid down Aria's cheek as she reached for Mike's ice cold hand that was resting by his side. "Please get better Mike," she whispered tearfully. "I need you here. Please wake up soon."

As she held onto his hand, a thought occurred to her. She had speculated that the "A" fangs might have something to do with what happened to Mike, and that maybe something similar that was happening to her had happened to him. Tentatively, she removed her hand from his as she started inching her hand his right robe pocket...

"Miss Montgomery?" Madam Pomfrey called in the background, startling Aria, who jumped up and spun around, hastily wiping her tears away in the process. "Yes?"

"Time is up," Pomfrey said gruffly, yet still apologetically. Aria could easily pinpoint the sympathy in her eyes. Great. Just what she needed.

Aria sighed as she stood up. "Alright, I'm going."

Madam Pomfrey then walked out of the room, and Aria quickly leaned down toward Mike again. "I'll get back to you," she whispered to his stone-cold face, his haunting hazel eyes glassy and wide open. "She's not doing any real favors for you, but I'll figure out what's really going on here. I'll bring you back."

With one final kiss on Mike's forehead, Aria made her way out of the Infirmary, eyes still glazed over with tears for her brother. She didn't know if she was emotionally stable enough to return to class. Everyone would just stare holes into her when she walked in. They would all know where she was at, and she didn't think she could take that.

_I'll just go see Ezra, and then see how I feel afterward,_ she thought to herself, trying her hardest to calm herself down. She walked briskly down the corridor toward the classroom that he taught in.

She was about to walk into the doorway when she stopped short. Inside, echoing off the forever-ascending concrete walls, were not one, but _two_ voices.

Aria froze, pressing herself against the wall outside of the doorway as she listened in.

"I wasn't aware that you wanted to see me, Minerva," Ezra spoke, apprehension clear in his voice. Aria's eyes widened. What did Professor McGonagall want to see Ezra for?

"Well, truthfully Ezra this wasn't on my agenda for today," McGonagall said tiredly. "But something has come to my attention, and I need your opinion on it."

Aria held her breath. Was she asking what she _thought_ she was asking?

"I was going to ask Professor Binns on this one because he taught for such a long time, and is probably knowledgeable on the subject," McGonagall continued, her heels clicking against the pavement, and Aria could clearly imagine her walking precise circles around the front desk, and she knew Ezra well enough to know that he was probably doing everything he could not to pass out under McGonagall's falcon gaze. "But he finally left this post awhile ago, so I thought a fresh outlook would be better."

"Oh?" Ezra said, his voice cracking and nearly an octave above what it normally was.

The heels stopped clicking, and Aria pressed her ear up closer to the wall as she continued to listen in, her heart leaping up into her throat, throbbing against her vocal cords. Yet somehow, she still wasn't even remotely prepared for what McGonagall said next.

"What do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?"

There was an awkward silence, and Aria had to try her hardest to suppress her whiplash. She could almost _hear_ Ezra blink in shock. "Sorry?"

"The Chamber of Secrets," McGonagall repeated. "Surely you've read about it in your studies?"

Ezra paused, but then cleared his throat. "Yes, I have. I have a pretty good recollection of the events that took place on the day that it..."

"Really, now?" McGonagall said sarcastically. "Well I assure you that I have an even better recollection considering that I was _there_ for it!"

Aria could hear the sound of furniture shuffling, and would've bet 20 sickles that Ezra had nervously stepped back and rammed into a chair or the chalkboard; _something_ painful. "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't - "

"It's fine," McGonagall said breezily. "But what's _not_ fine is..."

"Is what, Minerva?"

McGonagall took a deep breath, preparing for what she was about to say. This time, her voice was deeper, sharper even.

"I think it's been opened again."

"What?" Ezra exclaimed, and the sound of more chairs shuffling was heard; either he was coming out from behind his desk, or he was bumping into more things in shock. Aria guessed it was probably the latter. "How can you be sure?"

"Mike Montgomery still hasn't woken up yet," McGonagall said brusquely.

"But that's one student," Ezra said softly. "From what I remember - and I'm sure that you do as well..." he added quickly as to not defend McGonagall, who, Aria guessed, had some sort of scowl on her face right now. "But from what I remember _reading_, when the Chamber was opened, there were dozens of kids who were petrified, not just one."

Aria's eyes widened even more. _Petrified?_ She was told that he was only _paralyzed!_ And what was the Chamber of Secrets? What did that have to do with Mike?

"I had a suspicion the moment I saw him lying on the ground," McGonagall said sadly. "I knew it, but at the same time I wasn't sure. But..."

"But what?"

"My suspicions were confirmed today," she continued, her voice dropping to that same chilling octave that it had before. "Someone else has been hurt."

"In the same way?" Ezra squeaked. "Who?"

McGonagall swallowed loudly before proclaiming, "Scorpius Malfoy."

Aria's jaw dropped to the ground. _Malfoy?_

"Aria?" a voice called, and Aria whipped around to see Spencer coming toward her, displaying her Prefect badge on her robes proudly.

"Shhh!" Aria hissed, turning back toward the doorway, where McGonagall and Ezra were still chatting. But she didn't hear anymore voices. They had stopped talking.

"Are there students in the hallway?" McGonagall asked warily.

"Uh, I'll go check," Ezra started, but McGonagall stopped him.

"_I've_ got this," she said, almost condescendingly. "_Muffliato!_"

There was a _flash_, and then an abnormal buzzing sound filled the vicinity. Aria tried to keep listening in, but she couldn't hear a thing the two were saying.

_Dammit!_ she thought as she marched away in a huff, taking a confused Spencer by the arm as she stalked away, rounding the corner as she did so. Eventually the buzzing sound dissipated, so she turned to Spencer.

"What the hell was that all about?" Aria whispered frantically. "I was closing in on some valuable information!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?!" Spencer asked defensively. "And wait... what valuable information?" At the end of the sentence, Spencer's eyes lit up and her eyebrows arched upward. Any type of clue was good enough for her.

"...I don't know," Aria admitted as she bit her lip thoughtfully. "Something about... the Chamber of Secrets? Know anything about it?"

"No..." Spencer said warily as she furrowed her brow, clearly ticked off that there was something out there that she didn't know about.

"Well, apparently it's being opened again, whatever that means," Aria explained. "And apparently it's supposed to explain for Mike and Scorpius being petrified."

"Wait, _petrified_?" Spencer exclaimed, forgetting the atmosphere that they were in, if only for a moment. "By what?"

"I don't know, I didn't get to fully listen in!"

"And wait, when did _Scorpius_ get petrified?" Spencer asked, seemingly caught off guard. "When did this happen?"

"Apparently just now."

"On my shift?!" Spencer squeaked, before groaning loudly and smacking her hand against her forehead. "Seriously, Mona is going to kill me for this."

"First of all, if it weren't _Malfoy,_ I'd be concerned about _your_ concern for the wellbeing of your fellow students," Aria said dryly, trying to break some of the tension in the air that came with this horrifying new information. "_Second_ of all, what's the worst _Mona_ can do? Bite you?"

"Okay, whatever," Spencer retorted. "Did they say where they found Malfoy?"

Aria opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the sound of a mob of people running amuck was heard just down the corridor.

"I think that should answer your question," she muttered as she walked ahead, with Spencer in tow.

As they continued walking, the sound of the voices got louder and louder until the source was finally in view. Spencer could see over the crowd of people where Emily and Hanna were, so she grabbed Aria by the wrist and led her over to them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Spencer whispered.

"See for yourself," Hanna said bluntly, extending her hand outward toward the scene of the crime. Aria and Spencer looked forward, and gasped.

Scorpius lay face up on the ground, his arm extended with his wand grasped tightly within his fingers, as though he was defending himself against something. There was a murmur among the students that the girls presumed only to be about Malfoy, until all four looked up to see the other topic of hurried conversation.

Written in thick, dark red blood higher up on the wall, was a message. A dark, horrible message:

_The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware._

"Back to class everyone!" Madam Pomfrey scolded. "It's being taken care of!"

Everyone started making their way back to class, but Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily couldn't seem to peel their eyes away from the haunting message higher up on the bricks. Finally, Hanna tugged on all of their arms, nudging them toward the direction of their next classes, but Emily stopped.

"G-g-guys..."

They all whipped around, startled by her shaky tone. "Em, what's the matter?"

"Look!"

She pointed upward with a shaky index finger, and the girls' gazes followed in that direction. But when they saw what she was pointing to, they each felt their stomachs flip over on themselves.

Right under the message was drawn a big, fat "A". One that definitely was not there before.

"Girls! Why aren't you in class?"

All of the girls looked over to Professor McGonagall, who's horn-rimmed glasses were nearly falling down her nose, and mousy hair was in a tight, tight bun at the top of her head.

Emily gulped. "Professor, we were just distracted by the message - "

"As was everyone else, Miss Fields," McGonagall pointed out, "but they all managed to return to class. Why can't you four?"

"Because no one else saw that giant 'A' that's there now!" Spencer blurted out.

McGonagall froze, a confused look on her face as she looked back up to the wall. The girls stared at her apprehensively, wondering what was going through her mind. When she turned back to them, she said the last thing they expected her to say:

"What giant 'A'?"

* * *

**Side Note: Oh Professor McGonagall. I love that bitch more than I love some of the actual people in my life. And could Mike have something to do with the fangs? While we're at it, could SCORPIUS? And the girls all saw an 'A', but no one else did. What could that mean? It's all up in the air at this point. Sound off in the reviews!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Jeez, y'all are demanding. You're lucky I love you all so much ;) nevertheless, the number of reviews this story is getting keeps on climbing, and I could not thank you all enough. And in answer to all of you, YES. I am so ready for #WorldWarA. Bring it on!**

**Emote Control: It's a quality name, I'll give you that! Draco knew what he was doing when he named his son.  
Sarah: Please. When normal people are bored, they browse the internet or read a book or surf channels on TV... not Mona. She goes on a killing rampage XD that goddess. And YES McGonagall is the biggest BAMF of them all. I'm in love with her. Keep telling your friends that, they need to understand her greatness! And thanks again for your fabulous reviews :)  
TotalCowGirl: Yeah, there are some similarities! Thanks! :)  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Aww, that's so sweet about you and your sisters :') I love Aria and Mike's relationship, and how protective they are of each other, so I wanted to detail on that in the past chapter. And haha, that basically sums it up when it comes to Ezra and McGonagall: she's a BAMF, and he's a baby bunny who's intimidated by her BAMF-ness. And I mean that in the most loving way possible because I adore Ezra. And well, in the second Harry Potter book yes, Muggleborns were the ones who were petrified. But this is not the second Harry Potter book. This is my story ;) you'll see how it all pans out. There's a reason behind Scorpius's petrification. As for Samara, no, she did not make it into the story :/ someone else did, though! And this story is gonna be around 60 chapters, so quite long :D idk if that's a deal breaker or not, but I worked hard on it, so hopefully you enjoy it! Thanks so much for your kind words/long review!  
LAs: Yep, things are really picking up now! But we've only just BEGUN! It's gonna heat up even more, just wait ;) and McGonagall doesn't know where the Chamber is because Harry is the one who entered it. She never did. And even if she _did_ know where it is, the Chamber is dangerous! Plus, she can't just enter at her own will; only the Heir of Slytherin can enter it, remember? And don't worry about not reviewing, I understand :)  
Titanium Wolf: Haha, sometimes I do believe the girls have gone crazy. And yes, wait and see! It's gonna heat up even more :) thanks so much!  
ezria: You're gonna have an AWESOME Ezria chapter in a couple chapters. Patience, my dear!  
Bagilia: Umm, I write the story, therefore I can do whatever I want..? ;) All jokes aside, you have to be patient with me. You're gonna get some action, as well as a bunch of stuff to fangirl over as the story progresses! As a fellow Slytherin brother, trust me XD And indeed, someone SHOULD talk to Myrtle. She could probably answer a lot of their questions... if she's willing to, that is. And no worries, there's a small dose of Haleb THIS chapter to tide you over! Well, they're separated, but Caleb has the best of intentions if that counts. And indeed, between the accents and the hair and the CHEEKBONES, I'm unconscious majority of the day from swooning so hard. And haha, not narcissistic. Simply confident! And no need for the haste, you _know_ I update every day!  
Ava B: Sparia is near the top of my list of reasons to wake up every morning. They're PERFECT! You're gonna get some more of them this chapter as well ;) And you never know. Maybe the girls really _are_ losing their minds! I wouldn't be surprised ;) and aww, thank you so much! You're so sweet!  
Sgdp1261: Yep, _no one_ saw that coming! It's not random, though. There's a rhyme and reason for everything that happens in this story. And I know, how great would it be if they had such sweet moments like that in the show? But that's what fanfiction is for, right? It makes an excellent substitute ;) and oh man, Professor McGonagall is the baddest bitch of them all. If you're ailing, she will be there to kiss your wounds, but if you cross her, she will go HAM! And yes, classic Ezra. Clumsily fumbling under pressure. He's so cute XD and you're gonna get even more Sparia this chapter! You just can't go wrong with a little Sparia ;D thanks so much for the review and for reading. Keep it up!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: No problem! Better late than never is right! And you're absolutely right. Mike and Aria have the healthiest sibling relationship on the show, it's so perfect. They look out for each other in the best way possible, whether it comes to their parents or douchebags like Conor, the works. I'm glad I captured that well according to you, it's what I'm aiming for! And haha, well no Ezria goodness THIS chapter, but there's gonna be an ezria chapter coming up that's gonna melt your heart, so no worries! Also, we still got to see Ezra being his adorable fumbling self around badass McGonagall ;D and well, Scorpius will be in the hospital wing, but I think he'll be across from Mike instead. A little better I'd say :) thank you so much for your reviews, they always make my day!**

**You all seem to love the chapters between the four girls, so here's another one curveballing your way! So hopefully you enjoy, hopefully you don't want to _kill_ me by the end of it (I've already gotten one death threat, idk if I can deal with another), and _hopefully_ you review your faces off in preparation for the next chapter! Much love to all of you wonderful people XD**

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"How could she have not seen the 'A'?" Hanna asked frantically later that night as she rolled her green peas around in her plate with the tips of her fork. "It was right there!"

"Maybe it was at a different angle," Emily suggested hopefully. "Maybe you could only see it from where we were standing."

"But when we walked away, we could still clearly see it," Hanna retorted as she angrily smacked her fork onto her plate, giving up on whatever she was trying to achieve with her peas. "I'm telling you, something's up."

"So what," Aria began, "you think someone _charmed_ it so that only we could see the 'A'? What does that even achieve? So there's an 'A' there, big deal."

"I think it means something," Emily said worriedly, her expression contorting into one of fear. "Guys, I'm scared."

"You don't need to be scared, Emily," Hanna said softly as she rubbed Emily's arm comfortingly. "We're all in this together, okay?"

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Spencer said abruptly as she paced up to the Hufflepuff table next to the girls, a plate of chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes in her hands.

"Where were you?" Aria asked curiously.

"With Mona, getting reprimanded for letting that happen to Malfoy," Spencer said with an eyeroll.

"Reprimanded?" Hanna asked incredulously, her posture slacking as she snorted loudly. "I'd like to see that."

"Guys, I'm telling you, she's vicious!" Spencer whined.

"Yeah, vicious for like, a chihuahua," Hanna said sarcastically. "I mean what's the worst that she could do to you? _Bite_ you?"

"That's what I said!" Aria piped in cheerfully.

"Alright, enough," Spencer said finally, holding out her hands to signal for the girls to stop. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing really," Aria said with a shrug. "We just spent the last 10 minutes debating over the meaning of the 'A' on the wall that _apparently_, no one else can see but us!"

"Okay, now I'm completely convinced," Hanna began as she threw her hands up in the air, leaning back in her chair as she did so. "This Chamber of Secrets definitely has something to do with those fangs we've been getting."

"But what is the Chamber of Secrets?" Emily asked. "We've never learned about anything like that."

"Ezra was talking to McGonagall about it in his classroom," Aria said thoughtfully. "Apparently it had been opened before, but she made it sound like that was a long time ago."

"But it's open again," Spencer said as she let out a long breath. "So what does that mean for us?"

"I don't know," Emily said as she took a sip of her water. "Can we discuss this later? I wanna get to the locker rooms early for Quidditch practice."

"Sure," Hanna agreed. "And _I_ need to get started on my report on Shakira with Lucas."

"Didn't you say that was due like a month ago?" Aria asked.

"Yeah," Hanna said casually, shrugging her shoulders as the other three gawked at her.

"_Hanna_," Spencer scolded. "How do you expect to pass the class if you turn in homework assignments a month later than they're supposed to be due?"

"I'm figuring it out!" Hanna retorted loudly as she started to gather her things.

Emily and Hanna both got up from the table, Emily exiting the hall right off the bat, and Hanna stopping at the end of the table to drag Lucas by the hood of his robe out of the Great Hall and down to the Hufflepuff Basement.

Aria and Spencer stared at each other, and then awkwardly got up from the table once they realized it didn't belong to either of their houses.

"I'm going to sound really insensitive by saying this," Spencer whispered out of the corner of her mouth as the two made their way toward the Slytherin table to finish their dinner, "but you're the one who brought it up earlier, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since."

"Spencer, spit it out," Aria said impatiently, egging Spencer on as she sat at the table.

"Were you able to find out if Mike got one of those fangs?" Spencer asked gently as she sat down next to Aria.

Aria visibly wilted. "No," she said sadly. "I didn't even get a chance to look. Do you..." She then looked up at Spencer, her doe eyes even rounder and bigger than usual. "Do you think we could be next?"

"There's only one way to find out," Spencer said determinedly. "We need to sneak into the Infirmary and get a closer look at Malfoy and your brother."

Aria went pale in an instant. "I don't know how I feel about that."

"Why?" Spencer asked. "You said yourself that you tried searching him."

"Yeah, during a _visit_," Aria hissed. "I didn't sneak into a germ-infested death cubicle where comatose, sick people are lounging around on bed posts. I actually had supervision."

"Well, supervision is going to get you nowhere when you actually want answers," Spencer pointed out. "My prefect shift is tonight, I'm gonna use it to break in."

"Okay, you're making me seriously nervous with how easily you're able to say all of that," Aria whispered apprehensively. "_Please_ don't do anything stupid."

"When has stupid ever been a part of my vocabulary?" Spencer said pompously as she took a sip of water out of her goblet.

"Never," Aria groaned defeatedly as she got up from the table. "I have to go. But look, _promise_ me you'll stay out of the Infirmary?"

"No, I'm not going to - "

"Spencer," Aria said sternly, her face fixating into that of a hawk, a look she only got when she was serious about something. "_Promise_."

Spencer huffed stubbornly. "Fine, I promise."

"Thank you," Aria said tiredly as she grabbed her things and made her way out of the hall, but not without wishing Spencer goodbye of course.

Spencer made sure Aria had completely cleared the hall before standing up from the table and making her way toward the Ravenclaw table.

"Hi," she chirped as she walked up to a familiar face.

Caleb turned around awkwardly, away from his half eaten chicken breast, to see Spencer standing behind him expectantly. His face changed from one of confusion to one of concern in an instant. "Excuse me," he said, pausing his conversation with James Potter - who had left the Gryffindor table to dine with Caleb - as he got up from the table and pulled Spencer to the side. "Yes?"

"I need something from you," she said seriously.

"Sounds serious," he pointed out as he crossed his arms across his chest, studying Spencer. "Is there something I should know?"

"What?" Spencer said abruptly. "No! Look, do you have the Marauders Map or not?"

"Marauders Map..." Caleb repeated, studying Spencer with that famous clever smirk he always wore, with half of his mouth turned up and his brown eyes shining with mocking wisdom. Spencer rolled her eyes. He could be a real asshole, yet somehow he was a _charming_ asshole.

She could see why Hanna liked him so much.

"Yes," she breathed, wanting to get out of this conversation as soon as possible. "Answer my question: do you have it or not?"

"I do," Caleb said vaguely, and his smirk vanished. The right corner of his mouth turned back down, and the mocking wisdom in his eyes diminished, only to be replaced with... worry?

"Why could you possibly need the Marauders Map, Spencer?" Caleb asked softly.

"My parents forgot to sign my Hogsmeade form for this year," she lied, the fib rolling smoothly off her tongue. She couldn't help but think that this was only because she could see this happening. "I wanted to use it to sneak in."

"Oh," Caleb muttered. Truthfully, he could relate; if he had managed to keep all of his permission slips that his aunt and uncle had neglected to sign, he could cover every surface of the Great Hall with them. That's why he had the map in the first place, but by now he had memorized all of the secret passages, so he supposed it wouldn't hurt to give it to Spencer, as long as he was careful to watch out for anyone catching him whenever he sneaked around the castle at his leisure.

"Fine," he said, giving in. "I'll have it to you by tomorrow."

"No, I need it by tonight," Spencer said hastily. A little _too_ hastily.

"Jeez, you're pushy," he said snarkily. "What's the rush? The next Hogsmeade visit isn't for another month!"

Spencer opened her mouth to respond, but froze. Unfortunately, she hadn't prepared herself with a good enough lie for that.

Caleb sighed as he took a step toward Spencer. "Look, I know about the fangs."

Spencer was about to say, "I know", but then decided against it; if he _knew_ that she knew, that would confirm that she and the girls were talking about it, and that would confirm to Caleb that it was something serious.

Taking her hesitation into account, he continued. "Hanna and I may be fighting right now, but I'm not about to let something bad to happen to her."

"And nothing bad will!" Spencer said breezily, shifting her weight between her heels and her toes slowly, so that it was barely noticed. "Hanna's safe, I promise."

"I'd feel better if I saw that for myself?" Caleb said, leaving the phrase at an uptick as he raised his left eyebrow.

"Then talk to her," Spencer said impatiently. "Can you give me the map tonight or not?"

"As you can see, I'm a little unprepared," Caleb retorted, bringing his empty hands up front to affirm his statement. "If you had come to me earlier, I would've gladly given it to you. Now you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, got it?"

"Fine," Spencer grumbled, before turning away without even bothering to say goodbye. She _hated_ being behind schedule, but it looked like she'd have to deal with it for now.

Caleb stared after Spencer, confused as ever. If she needed the map so much, why would she need it _now_? Obviously the next Hogsmeade visit wasn't for a long time.

Was Spencer planning on sneaking around the _school_ using the Marauders Map? But _why_?

Something was seriously wrong, and he was going to get to the bottom of it. No matter what Hanna said.

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**Side Note: So since last chapter, the girls found out about the Chamber of Secrets, and right now they're just having a little trouble figuring out what that IS. And Caleb and Spencer! They're relationship is entertaining because when she was using him/getting him murdered by A, all they did was bitch at each other, and that's kinda what's happening here. The only reason they don't kill each other is because they both love Hanna :D so hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, don't forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know!**


	18. Chapter 18

**SPOILER ALERT SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FINALE!**

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**That finale guys... THAT FUCKING FINALE OH MY GOD! Ezria... their relationship... it's a lie... IT'S ALL A LIE AND I CAN'T WITH LIFE ANYMORE AND I'M JUST SO, SO UPSET! And they were so CUTE this episode! And all the Ezrians everywhere were given so much hope. "They're gonna get back together... they're gonna get back together... say goodbye Karate Jake because they're gonna get back together..." BUT THAT'S ALL GONE NOW BECAUSE HE'S A! And Alison is alive, and he and Alison DATED, and he was STALKING HER! Man. The minute Hanna said, "Is A a boy?", I absolutely knew it. I was like, "Oh shit. It's Ezra." And then I saw Aria wander away from everyone and I was like, "SHE'S GONNA FIND OUT IT'S EZRA IT'S REALLY EZRA!" And then all that shit with Mrs. Grunwald happened, and then we saw the shadow, with his hands in his pockets, and walking forward all adorably... Guys. When I saw that, I knew it. Know why? ONLY IAN HARDING WALKS LIKE THAT! THERE IS NO ONE ELSE ON THE PLANET WHO WALKS LIKE THAT! And then his face showed. HIS FACE! And he kicked the fucking closet door, and he was so angry, and I got so scared. My heart was beating out of my chest, I was shaking, I was SCREAMING! This has had to be the best finale yet, and I literally cannot wait until the Halloween episode, and I ESPECIALLY cannot wait until season 4B in January!**

**Also, I'd like to take this time to congratulate Lucy Hale, who is gonna get to go HAM playing Aria next season. I'm so excited. This show is finally returning to the one that I fell in love with :D**

**Okay, NOW for your reviews:**

**TotalCowGirl: Thanks! :)  
Sarah: Oh yeah, there's no doubt about it. Caleb is most certainly not a fool. He's in Ravenclaw! They don't accept fools. And hmm, well I didn't think of that when I wrote it, but I remember that scene. Season 1 Caleb! So sassy. "What if I gave you 40 extra bucks, would that get you to speed it up?" "Lemme put it this way: ****_yes_****." Thank you so much!  
Goldenheart11: Sparia is just... I can't with them. They're so, so wonderful, and _so_ easy to write for. Caleb really is the Liars' go-to guy when it comes to these things, and he'd break his back for Hanna. That scene in 4x10 with him broke my heart, when he said, "I'm just not enough to keep you safe anymore." I CRIED, I'm such a baby. But seriously, I'm in love with Caleb, and the day he leaves the show will be the day I roll into a ball and cry the most tears I've cried over this show since Ezria broke up (and since last night... I am still shaking).  
Titanium Wolf: Poor Caleb is right! Thanks for the review :)  
Ava B: Aria getting stern with Spencer is always hilarious because Spencer is so shocked, like, "I'm the only one who can give orders!" I think if anyone else had ordered Spencer around, she would've backhanded them, but since Aria's her adorable self, she lets it slide. And haha, Spencer's basically like, "Dammit protecting all of these people is TIRING! Caleb, you can take care of yourself." And indeed it is! I love Bruno Mars (did you see his VMAs performance? Unreal), and before I had an account, for guest reviews I just hastily came up with a name, and that was my favorite song by him at the time, so I just typed it in and was like "But it has to have numbers..." so I put in the "555" at the end, and it just ended up sticking! I like it a lot :) so glad you picked up on that!  
Ally: Wow, thank you so much! And you saw that on Tumblr? Now you HAVE to tell me where you found it. Put the link in the reviews! But put spaces next to the dots, or FanFiction will remove it. That's so cool!  
NorthernSteelGirl: Haha, I guessed that from the Steel: Steelers? Wow, I didn't know that was a Pennsylvania thing! My sister showed me that putting ketchup on eggs is delicious, so I've done it ever since ;D glad I'm considered cool for doing it! Always good to have a bonus.  
erica: Thanks! It's about to get even better ;)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: No worries, you have an entire STORY'S worth of clever intros to make up for it ;) and team Liars is the ultimate ship (plus it's the ship I'm gonna have to resort to since my two OTPs are now shattered) And I can tell you that eventually Caleb WILL be clued in, no worries :)  
Bagilia: That's the spirit! And btw I'm so sorry, I forgot that you were behind when I sent you that PM, but hey, at least I didn't reveal anything, right? Seriously, though, get caught up. It will end you. And haha, Spaleb is indeed a wonderful thing :) and yes, you need to butter up Myrtle! There's the answer. But if anyone was THAT competent we wouldn't have a story now would we? Besides, something tells me Myrtle's not gonna wanna spill anything ;) and hmm, Caleb would be the nerd that the superhero has to bully for answers/technical help, haha. That's our Caleb!  
Sgdp1261: Wow, you're so emotionally unstable you forgot to put the capital "S" in your infamous pen name! I'm right there with you, though, because I AM A MESS! And man, Caleb, Spencer, and Mona would make the best team there ever was in terms of taking over the world. The three smartest characters on the show together? I think yes. TEAM SPALONA! And is it bad that an entire finale just happened, and I can't even remember half of what happened because EZRA IS A! And I've been suspicious of him and Aria for a while (I mean, they're my favorite, don't get me wrong, but they wreak sketch), but I never thought my suspicions would prove TRUE! And agreed, the suit jackets confirmed my thoughts :( I can't deal with anything anymore. It's a good thing this story is prewritten, because my mind is JELLO!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: I can't even talk about the finale anymore, I'm all worn out from the insanity of it all. And no worries, Hanna and Caleb will be reconciling soon ;) if you need a countdown to how many chapters before the adorable Haleb chapter I have in store, check the review, because Bagilia has got you covered. And hmm, I think Albus could make an appearance later! But this story is focused mainly on the PLL characters, with a few HP ones thrown into the mix as well. And James and Caleb, I just threw in them dining together because a reviewer (was it you? I can't remember) got excited about a bromance between them since James lent Caleb the invisibility cloak. Thanks again for the (long) review!**

**And now, as I proceed to dry myself off after drowning in the river of tears I have produced, I present to you all the next chapter. Enjoy, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

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Hanna stared determinedly down at the piece of parchment paper, licking her lips as she dipped her quill in the pint of ink next to the far right corner of the page. "Okay, what else does it say about her?"

Lucas licked his finger before turning the page in his _Rolling Stones_ magazine. "Umm, she sold 89,000 copies of her album _She Wolf_ in 2009."

Hanna bit her lip thoughtfully as she scribbled this down on the paper. "And?"

"Annddd by 2013 she had won 10 grammys; 2 Latin ones and the other 8 were regular ones."

Hanna scribbled this down as well, before looking up at Lucas expectantly. Lucas scanned the rest of the page, before he noticed Hanna staring a hole through him. He sighed and smacked the magazine on the table. "Hanna, you're basically just transposing the exact words from the magazine into your own handwriting."

"So?" Hanna said innocently, cocking her eyebrows upward. "I'm giving him facts!"

"But there's no depth, no analysis!" Lucas argued. "This paper is a month late, Hanna. If you keep up with what you're doing, and then turn it in, he may not accept it!"

"Well if you think you can do so much better, how about _you_ write it!" Hanna challenged, pushing the parchment over to him.

Lucas uneasily slid the paper back to her. "I see what you're trying to do, and _I'm_ not falling for it," he said giddily, speaking to Hanna like she was 5. Hanna rolled her eyes and huffed out a gust of air as she leaned back against the couch.

"Can't we just take a break or something?" she whined. "My brain hurts."

"No," Lucas insisted. "Now c'mon, you're almost done. Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"No, I'm tired!" Hanna snapped. "It's already late, I'll just finish it tomorrow."

"Hanna - "

"Lucas..." she warned, indicating that he not push her. Lucas took note of her irritated tone, and looked up to get a good look at her. She had that annoyed look on her face that she usually had with him, yet he could detect sadness in her crystal blue eyes. Now he was caught; he didn't know if he should try to comfort her, or just mind his own business. But he still cared about Hanna, and he hated seeing her down.

After about two minutes of silence, Lucas awkwardly cleared his throat to get Hanna's attention. "Hanna, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing," she said passively as she turned away from him. "N-nothing."

The way she stuttered on the last "nothing" confirmed it for him. "No, Hanna, there's something wrong."

Now Hanna's bottom lip was starting to quiver, and she put her elbow on the table as she put her chin in between her thumb and her index finger to try to hide it. Lucas started to panic; had he done something wrong? "Hanna I didn't mean to - "

"No, it's not you," Hanna whimpered, her voice quivering. "It's just... Caleb and I..."

"Did you and Caleb have a fight?" Lucas asked, attempting to be subtle, but the way his eyes were widened and his mouth was grazing the floor was far from subtle. Hanna ignored this as she nodded her head subtly, tears now freely rolling down her face.

"Hanna, I'm... I'm so sorry," Lucas said softly. Hanna just sniffled indignantly as she wiped her cheeks dry.

"It's not your fault," she said. "There was just... a lot that led up to it, and..."

"And what?" Lucas asked gently. "What happened?"

Hanna just sniffled again. "I'd really rather not talk about it, Lucas."

Lucas just rapidly nodded his head. "Yeah," he said understandably. "Yeah, I understand. Umm, we can just pick up where we left off tomorrow. Will that make you feel better?"

"It would," Hanna said appreciatively as she started to roll up her parchment, finding it difficult to do so with her fumbling fingers. Lucas noticed this, and hastily got off his butt and onto his knees as he leaned over the table to help her, putting the quill and rolled up parchment in her hands and then picking up the cup of ink himself.

"Thank you, Lucas," she said finally. "For everything."

"Yeah," he chirped, clearing his throat as he stood up from the ground, his magazines and the ink in his arms. "Yeah, of course!"

Hanna just nodded her head. "Well, I'm gonna go upstairs."

"Don't forget your ink!" he said abruptly, holding it out for her. She laughed weakly as she reached out for it, and Lucas tried his hardest not to faint on the spot from the way her hand brushed up against his.

Suddenly, a wave of energy Lucas didn't even know existed rushed through him, and he leaned forward and kissed Hanna straight on the mouth. Hanna, completely stunned, froze in position, her lips still on his, but then pulled away.

Lucas pulled back, too, and the wave of energy dissipated completely. "I'm so sorry! I didn't - "

"It's okay!" she said abruptly, pushing her wavy blonde hair behind her ear nervously. "Umm... I guess I'll just see you tomorrow..."

"Yeah..." Lucas agreed. With that, Hanna gave him a curt head nod before rushing off toward the girls dormitories. Lucas smacked his hand against his forehead once he was sure she was gone.

_You idiot!_ he thought angrily to himself. _Look what you did!_

Yet somewhere, deep down, he felt like she might have liked it.

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**Side Note: Lucas FINALLY made his move! It's about time; the kid has been crushing on Hanna for years now! But man, if Caleb finds out... Lucas's ass is grass. Now, this chapter was a little shorter, so I'll tell you wonderful people what: you've been SO VERY GOOD with reviews, that if you get up to a good number this chapter, I'll post the next chapter up later tonight! So get cracking!**


	19. Chapter 19

**MAN, y'all are fast. And you all had such strong reactions to the finale! Me too, man. Me. Too. My head is still caught up in a whirlwind of feels that I might never return from, but it's a slow recovery. I'll be okay EVENTUALLY!**

**Okay, as promised, here's the next chapter for you. Two chapters in ONE DAY?! Granted, last chapter was a filler chapter (although it'll be significant later, I promise) but y'all are super lucky that my brain is so filled with mush that I can't see that I might end up regretting this later, but it's alright. If it makes you all happy, then I'm happy :) A/N will be posted tomorrow with the next chapter so we can get right to this chapter, WHICH has the return of a character that some of you might be happy about ;) so enjoy, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

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Emily slammed her locker shut as she straightened the hem on her Quidditch practice robes and pulled her socks up to her knees. Spencer wanted her to kick ass tomorrow; might as well get a head start tonight.

She walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall, and used it to study her ponytail, tugging on it ever so slightly so that it wasn't so lopsided. The minute she tugged it, though, it somehow became even more lopsided. Frustrated, she tried tugging it in the other direction; same result. She repeated this process until she was stopped by the sound of laughter behind her.

"Look at you," Paige giggled lightly as she leaned against one of the lockers. "It's adorable how you _actually_ think you could look anything less than perfect right now."

Emily felt the color creep to her cheeks. "I just don't want my hair to fall out of its ponytail during practice."

"Well isn't that ironic," Paige said deeply as she propped herself off of the wall and walked over to Emily, close enough to wrap her arms around her shoulders. "You _don't_ want your hair to fall out, yet that's _exactly_ what I want to happen."

"Really, now?" Emily said teasingly as she returned the favor, wrapping her arms around Paige's waist. "And why would that be?"

Paige smiled deviously as she raised her hand to Emily's head, slowly and carefully sliding the hair tie out of Emily's hair so that her long, dark, thick hair fell gracefully onto her shoulders like a majestic lion's mane. "So I can do _this_," Paige whispered sexily as she brought her lips to Emily's while running her hands through Emily's mane of hair. Emily immediately relaxed and fell into Paige's passionate embrace, kissing her like the world was going to end tomorrow - which, knowing everything going on in the school at the moment, wasn't too far of a stretch. Just as the kiss was deepening, the girls were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.

Paige and Emily broke apart, groaning, even though they were used to this by now; while most people by now were accepting of them, each girl knew that deep down majority of the school was still uncomfortable with their PDA. Granted, most people were uncomfortable with PDA of ANY sort, but especially when they saw girls kissing girls. Paige and Emily tried to ignore them all, but they still couldn't hide the annoyance in their stances when they turned to face a familiar pair of forest green eyes.

Lily Potter tugged uncomfortably at the collar of her robe. "Umm, Albright wants us all outside."

"Got it," Paige said irritably. It was no secret that Paige didn't like Lily; Emily wasn't her biggest fan either, but Paige was a lot more upfront about it. She had stolen her girlfriend's position on the team, and for all Paige knew it was on purpose. Lily noticed the tension in the air, so she curtly nodded her head and scurried out of the locker room. Emily turned to Paige.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," she said sternly.

"Why not?" Paige retorted. "Em, she stole Seeker from you!"

"It wasn't her fault, okay?"

"How do you know?" Paige challenged, taking her arms off of Emily's shoulders to put them on her hips. "How do you know _she_ didn't plan for the Snitch to explode like that while you were still holding it?"

"I just do, okay?" Emily answered sharply, her tone indicating that Paige should simply drop it. Truthfully, she _didn't_ know if Lily was behind it or not, but the other girls had said that it probably wasn't her, and she believed them. She trusted the girls with her life, so she trusted their judgement just as much.

However, Paige could tell right away that something was off about Emily. She had kept in mind that Emily's heart had not been with it when it came to Quidditch practices ever since it was Potter who got to tear up the field in search for the Golden Snitch in place of Emily, who was stuck guarding the goal posts. She would give anything just to see her girlfriend smile again; she had a gorgeous smile after all.

But smiles or no smiles, there was still something going on with Emily, and Paige got the vibe that it went beyond Seeker.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Paige finally asked, making Emily jerk her head up in surprise.

"Nothing..." Emily said slowly, warily. "Why do you ask?"

"You just haven't been yourself lately," Paige said with a shrug as she started walking toward the locker room exit, Emily in tow.

"Paige, I'm fine," Emily assure as she entwined her fingers with Paige's. "The stress of the school year is just hitting me hard, just as it's hitting everyone else just as hard."

"Yeah, I guess," Paige muttered, still unsure. They walked out into the field, where everyone was in their Quidditch robes, either polishing their brooms or stretching or getting in position.

Paige turned to Emily one last time. "That doesn't mean I'll let it slide that I don't get to see your bright shining face every day," she said compassionately.

At this, Emily let out a laugh. "I'm sure you'll survive."

"Maybe," Paige said with a shrug and a mischievous side glance. "Doesn't mean those clowns out there will. We need you to be on top of your game for tomorrow!"

"MCCULLERS!" MacKenzie screamed. "Center! Now!"

"Coming!" Paige screamed back, but not before delivering a well timed peck on Emily's cheek as she ran off to center field.

"Alright, we're gonna start our warm up with a scrimmage," MacKenzie commanded. "I want Coogan and McCullers in position on that side of the field, Potter over here, and..."

His eyes landed on Emily, who froze under his gaze. He narrowed his eyes. "Fields, how about you sit this one out? Try to study everyone else for right now, that way you can be on top of things tomorrow."

Emily stood erect, but couldn't help the wave of disappointment that spread over her. "Okay," she said, wilting as she went over to the benches.

For the next 20 minutes, she watched the game unfold. Paige was doing great, and Emily made sure to cheer her on every now and then, but she couldn't seem to get into it. Quidditch just didn't seem to mean much to her anymore. She knew she was being a sour sport, thinking poorly of Quidditch just because someone got the position she wanted over her, but she couldn't help it; she was unhappy.

"Hope the big jock doesn't care if I smoke a little weed!"

Emily froze, her blood cooling to negative temperatures as the cogs turned in her head, analyzing the voice she had just heard. Was that...

Emily whipped around, and her thoughts were confirmed when her eyes landed on a dark, petite girl with shoulder-length curly hair. Maya.

"Oh my god," Emily squealed as she instinctively skipped around the bench to engulf Maya in a long, much-needed hug. "What are you doing back here?"

"Oh don't you know, sweet Em?" Maya said coyly as she pulled away. "I'm coming back!"

Emily's jaw dropped to the floor. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Maya said excitedly. "And of course I had to come back in _style_."

Emily nodded her head, clearly impressed. She had to hand it to Maya; she sure knew how to work a neon pink tank top and a pair of plaid denim shorts, even if that wasn't even _close_ to meeting the guidelines for Hogwarts dress code.

Emily took Maya's hand and brought her over to the bench, ignoring the conspicuous stares from her teammates. "So, how come they let you back?"

"Well apparently kiddies around this school are dropping like _flies_," Maya said tentatively, yet with the famous hint of sass in her voice. "So they said there was a spot for me! If I behaved of course."

"Dropping like flies?" Emily asked with a nervous laugh. "That happened, like, twice."

"Well, apparently McGona_gills_ thinks there's more to the story," Maya said passively, smirking to herself over the clever nickname and not realizing the intense connotation behind her words. "So, what'd I miss?"

Emily looked out into the playing field, and just as she suspected, Paige was keeping a careful eye on the two of them. She didn't look angry, she just looked... hurt.

Emily could feel her heart sink. She loved Paige, but she also _missed_ Maya. Maya was her first love, after all, and she had left so abruptly that Emily had found it hard to push those feelings away. But she knew she had to set the record straight for Maya before anything happened.

Slowly, Emily slid her hand out of Maya's. "_So_ much has happened, Maya. And a lot that you wouldn't even believe."

"Such as?" Maya inquired, cocking her left eyebrow upward with ease and suspicion.

"I have a girlfriend," Emily blurted out, and Maya froze. Suddenly, her entire demeanor changed.

"_Oh_."

"Maya, I'm sorry," Emily whispered. "But... all of a sudden you were just _gone_, and I had to eventually tell myself that you weren't coming back."

"But I _did_ come back," Maya said coldly.

"Yeah, _years_ later!" Emily exclaimed.

Maya bowed her head. "I always thought you were the one girl who would wait for me."

"It was too painful to hold onto those feelings. I _had_ to move on."

"Yeah, well, looks like that's what I'm gonna have to do right now," Maya spat as she rose from the bench. Emily's heart skipped a beat. "Where are you going?"

"To the Hufflepuff Basement to see if they gave away my old dorm," Maya said sharply, glaring at Emily with dark chocolate eyes filled with hurt. "Guess I'll have to get used to people throwing memories of me away."

"Maya, I never said that I've forgotten the good times," Emily pleaded. "I never said that I didn't want to be friends with you. You're back now, can't we just have that?"

"No, we can't," Maya said simply before storming off. Emily just stared after her, confused and hurt. _What just happened_?

"Emily?" Paige called. "Are you okay down there?"

Emily shot her head up, in a slight daze, looking up toward Paige, hovering over her on her Nimbus 2000. Once she got herself together, she gave Paige an affirmative head nod and a thumbs up. "Yep! Everything's fine!"

How wrong she was.

* * *

**Side Note: Maya's back bitches! And Paige is catching onto something... Also, anyone catch a reference? Always be on the look out for those pesky little guys; I try to have at least one in almost every chapter so it's like a scavenger hunt for you all! Be sure to review your faces off (which you're all so unbelievably good at) so you can get the next chapter tomorrow! And I think you'll like the next chapter tomorrow ;) granted, it'll feel like pouring salt on fresh wounds, but you'll still probably like it (I hope D:).**


	20. Chapter 20

**Congrats to Ava B and Sgdp1261 for getting the reference last chapter to Emaya in the pilot: "Does the big jock care if I smoke a little weed?" That's so Maya, am I right?**

**You all seemed pretty happy about the two chapters. _I'm_ happy to deliver! My brain is still mush after that finale, so sorry if I accidentally snap at any of you or anything like that. Just know that it's all out of love XD Now for your reviews:**

**Mia: Well, as you just saw, Lily has a bit of a significant role. She's an 'A' suspect in Emily's mind ****_and_**** in Paige's (even if Paige doesn't even know about 'A' yet). But the boys are kind of just guest stars. You're gonna see more of the ****_other_**** characters, though! It's just easier to use characters like McGonagall and Pomphrey, who are actually developed after 7 books and have easily writable personalities.  
TotalCowGirl: Oh, me too! I'm a Haleb shipper at heart, but you can't help but feel for poor little Lucas. His balls are as blue as the sky by now! Thanks for the review :)  
Sarah: Hanna's got a lot going on, this is true. And haha, that description of Lucas as a puppy is way too accurate! He even kinda LOOKS like a puppy, too! And oh man... that reveal crushed/excited me, but what shocked me the most is how ATTRACTIVE Ezra looks in all black! Like, who does that? WHO?! All of the A-team characters became more attractive when they were fully converted A members, though. But I mean, who doesn't look good in black? ;) And I know, it really doesn't seem like she has parents... when we see them, my jaw is gonna DROP. How much do you wanna bet she was conceived by Zeus and Aphrodite? Seems appropriate since she's GOD. Thanks again for the awesome review!  
Sgdp1261: I'm still so hysterical. I'm texting my friends/anyone who will listen to me, and I haven't once not texted in all caps. I'm such a wreck. I KNOW! I've had my suspicions of BOTH of them, but I never thought they'd come TRUE! ESPECIALLY so early. Nevertheless, I hope the writers don't pull a Toby. If this is the storyline they're going with, I hope it sticks. It's interesting! And dude, so many people guessed that it was Ezra all along, some even from season 1! Incredible.**** And haha, let's just say Paige is not exactly _happy_ about Maya's return... and you're not alone in that, sweetheart. I'm rewatching ALL of their cutest moments. It's torture. Absolute torture. And reading this chapter might be a little torturous, too, but he's not bad in this story (that you know of... ;))****  
CalebAndHannaForever: I'm just here to let you know that this is my story and I can do what I want? ;) You do sound a lot like a psychopath, but I'll forgive you since you're reviewing my story :) No worries! There is Haleb to come, and it's gonna knock your socks off, I PROMISE!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Haha, I'm really not, it was just conveniently written beforehand. Also, I can't leave you all waiting! That's not nice. And yeah, Haleb is my favorite, too, which is why you're going to get a VERY cute chapter with them very shortly ;) And I KNOW! Especially after Tuesday, I cannot wait until the Halloween episode.  
Goldenheart11: I mean, I'm an Ezria shipper, and even ****_I_**** was suspicious of him. Nevertheless, I never thought the writers would have the guts to go through with it! I'm really excited, though. Heartbroken, but excited. This is gonna make for one hell of a storyline. And I know, they BETTER not pull a Toby, I'll be so very mad. I think the writers know that that's what's gonna happen, because they keep saying "It's not gonna be like last time, we promise!" If they're lying... And you're gonna find out what's going through Hanna's mind in a few chapters! And yep, Maya's back! Buckle your seatbelts, cuz you are in for a RIDE!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: My. Emotions. EXACTLY! I really hope this isn't the writers faking us out, because this storyline excites me so much. And when I saw the suits, and Hanna goes, "Is A a guy?" I immediately went to Ezra. Who else could it be? They already did Toby, and Caleb is just fucking CALEB! And I noticed that about Aria, too. I have to give props to Lucy on that. You could literally see the cogs turning in her head, especially when she wandered away from the group to look at the other billboards. You could see her putting the pieces together, and then being in denial, like, "No. It ****_can't_**** be." And then she was on edge for the rest of the night: with Mrs. Grunwald, with crashing the party... poor thing :( And yes, if Caleb finds out, it's not gonna be pretty. I think I can say with confidence that yes, Caleb WILL find out. If I'm writing about the kiss, obviously I'm gonna do something with it, right? Whether he's gonna react calmly or blow up, that's for you to keep reading ;) thanks once again for your lovely reviews! Yes it's gonna cause trouble, and YES this chapter is Ezria-centric. Apologies! It's cute, though, but it's just... all a lie. All of it. MY HEART!  
Titanium Wolf: Well hopefully the last chapter wasn't too lackluster! And this next chapter ****_definitely_**** won't be :)  
Ava B: Lucas made his move! About time, right? And yes, look up his performance. He killed it ;D love me some Bruno! And of course! I remember you liked them (well, I remember ****_someone_**** liked them, and now I confirmed that that was you), so I put that in as a little shoutout ;) thanks again for your lovely reviews! Keep it up!  
Bagilia: Well, good to hear you LIKE me! And yes, get some popcorn, because it's gonna heat up in here really fast. These next few chapters are some of my favorites, so you are in for a RIDE. And someone's going to talk to Myrtle! Much later, though. Something's going to happen to make the girls crack, and Myrtle will be their only hope. How's THAT for a teaser? And oh my gosh, that swivel chair comment made me DIE! So dramatic, so Slytherin.**

**Okay... I just want you all to prepare yourself for this chapter... I wrote it ****_before_**** the finale. Like, WAY before. It's very sweet, but it's probably gonna make some of you emotional after what went down on Tuesday. I know it's making ME emotional ;( but anyway, I still really hope you enjoy. AND that you review your faces off, because it just makes me so happy when you do!**

* * *

Aria padded softly down the corridor, her Invisibility Cloak concealing her small frame from sight. She held it up and over her as she continued walking, trying to take shallow breaths as she looked left and right. It was late at night, and if she ever got caught, she'd be dead meat, for more reasons than one.

Finally, she rounded a corner, reaching the destination she had in mind. It was a secluded area in the castle, closed off from the main corridors. It was safe now for her to rip off her cloak.

As she revealed herself, a dark male figure came out from behind a large stone pillar, a hood up and over his head to hide his face. He slowly lifted his head like a marionette, each vertebra stacking on top of each other as he revealed his face to Aria, taking off his hood as he flashed his famous boyish grin.

Aria broke into a wide smile as she raced forward, leaping into Ezra's arms. Ezra caught her, wrapping his arms around her as he spun her, before stopping mid spin to lock her into a long, passionate kiss, which she gratefully leaned into as well. After a minute, they finally broke apart, and he set her down gently on the ground.

He looked at her adoringly, love swimming in his blue eyes. "It's been _way_ too long."

"I'll take the blame for that," Aria said sheepishly as she walked over to one of the stone pillars, only to slide down it into a sitting position with Ezra joining her. "I've had way too much going on lately."

Ezra bowed his head as he took her hand in his. "I'm so sorry that Mike isn't getting better, Aria."

Aria just shook her head at this. "We don't need to talk about that," she said softly. She didn't know what they'd talk about in _place_ of that, since it had been the only thing on her mind for weeks, but she would leave the substance of the conversation to Ezra.

"Of course not," he said understandingly as he held her hand up to his lips to give it a calming kiss. "We can talk about the Halloween ball coming up! I'll be going to it, too."

"You will?" Aria's eyes lit up. "That's great! What will you be going as?"

"It's a surprise," Ezra said coyly as he put a finger to her lips. Aria playfully smacked his hand away. "C'mon, Ezra, just tell me!"

"Nope!" he said finally. "Besides, if I tell you, I know you're going to subconsciously try to match our costumes. Do you know how many eyebrows that would raise?"

Aria thought about this, and then slouched defeatedly. "I guess you're right," she said with a sigh, but then perked up again. "But that doesn't matter to me. As long as I get to see you there."

Ezra broke into a smile as he leaned in to kiss Aria again. For the first time, Aria was finally able to take her mind off of everything going on around her, and it felt so nice.

But there was still something tugging at the back of her brain, and she knew it wasn't a good time to bring it up, but there was no other way. In the middle of the kiss, she halted. Ezra, noticing, pulled back. "Why'd you stop?"

Aria paused, trying to find her words, but her usually quick tongue was failing her tonight. Yet somewhere along the way, she had regained the feeling in her tongue, and managed to form her next words. "What do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Ezra blinked, slightly taken aback by her question. "The Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yeah," Aria continued, feeling a little more confident in her approach. "Wasn't it part of the curriculum you had to study when you applied for a teaching position?"

"It was," Ezra said warily, unsure of where Aria was going with this. He then thought back to his conversation with McGonagall the other day, and his jaw slackened as he snapped his fingers at the realization. "That was _you_ who was eavesdropping?"

"I was not eavesdropping!" Aria said defensively. "I came to see you, but McGonagall was in your classroom, so I waited patiently outside!"

"Right, _patiently_," Ezra teased, only to earn a powerful, yet playful, punch in the arm from Aria. Ezra winced as he rubbed his arm, surprised at Aria's strength. But then he thought more about what Aria was asking, and turned to her to look at her more closely. "Why do you want to know?"

Aria chewed on her bottom lip, afraid to respond. She didn't want Ezra to get involved in what was going on, especially seeing how Caleb even getting close to figuring it out was affecting his relationship with Hanna, yet she needed to get information out of Ezra for the girls. She hated using him like this, but it had to be done.

When Aria didn't respond, Ezra took it as his cue to intervene. "Is this about Mike?"

That caught Aria's attention. "Why would it have anything to do with Mike? Could it be the reason he's not waking up?"

Ezra thought about this for a minute, before standing up from the ground. He walked over to the stone pillar near the entrance to their hiding spot, peeked around it to make sure that absolutely no one was around the corner, before turning back to Aria. "That's what McGonagall thinks."

"What?" Aria whispered hastily as she scrambled to her feet. "What did she say?"

"There's something you need to know first," Ezra whispered back as he walked toward her. "A while ago, before you and even I were students here, the teaching staff made the decision not to teach about the Chamber of Secrets in History of Magic, or in any course."

"How come?" Aria asked.

"Because McGonagall and past headmasters didn't want students feeling that Hogwarts was once an unsafe environment," Ezra said sadly.

"But that doesn't make sense," Aria said, confused. "We know about the Battle of Hogwarts, and that proved that Hogwarts has the potential to be unsafe."

"Ever notice that we never learned that in _school?_" Ezra pointed out, giving her a knowing look. "Our parents just told us about it, or in your case you'd probably heard around."

"Yeah, I did," Aria mumbled. "But... what even _is_ the Chamber of Secrets?"

"The Chamber was made when Hogwarts was first founded," Ezra explained. "Salazar Slytherin wanted the student body to be strictly pure blooded, but the others disagreed. So he built the Chamber of Secrets, where he kept a Basilisk, whose sole purpose was to purge the school of all muggle-borns."

Aria could feel her skin start to crawl. "So Mike was petrified because he - "

"No!" Ezra interrupted. "At least, I don't think so. There's a couple flaws in McGonagall's logic."

"Flaws?"

"It can't have to do with the fact that he's muggle born," Ezra said reasonably. "Scorpius Malfoy got petrified as well, and both of his parents are wizards."

"Then why did he get petrified?"

"McGonagall doesn't know," Ezra said with a shrug as he sat down on one of the stone kiosks nearby. Aria joined him as he kept talking. "She also doesn't know how."

"How?"

"Aria, the petrifaction is a result of looking the Basilisk in the face," Ezra whispered, and Aria could pinpoint a hint of fear in his voice. "Not directly, because that results in death. But through the reflection in a mirror, a puddle, whatever."

"So is that what Mike did?"

Ezra avoided Aria's gaze when she said this, clearly holding back on something, and Aria could easily tell. "Ezra, please."

"It's unlikely," he said quietly, "because the Basilisk was killed nearly 30 years ago when the Chamber was opened again."

"_What?!_" Aria widened her eyes in fear. "But that's not - "

"Possible?" Ezra finished, turning back to her now as he raised his eyebrows. "I know. Which is why McGonagall is confused. Clearly the Chamber has been opened based on the message on the wall yesterday, but it should be ineffective."

Aria let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding. She felt like everything that was going on - Mike, the Chamber of Secrets, and those "A" fangs - was somehow connected, but there was still so much that didn't make sense.

"Aria, are you okay?" Ezra asked worriedly. "You look kind of pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, brushing off his comment by waving her hand through the air. She then scooted closer to him on the kiosk. "Besides, I'm the one who didn't wanna talk about it. This is about just _us_ now."

She then pressed her lips against his, and he complied for a while, but the kiss felt off. Forced. Aria was clearly very tense, and he could tell just by her mannerisms. Slowly, gradually, he pulled away.

"Ezra..." she complained.

"Aria, we can do this another time," he offered up warmly.

"But when do we _ever_ have time anymore? I want to spend time with you while I still have it."

"We will have it," Ezra reassured, looking her in the eyes as he kissed her chastely on the lips one last time. "I promise you, I will not let anything happen to you. Whatever happens, you'll be safe as long as I see to it."

"How?" she asked timidly.

"I just will," he said determinedly. He then stood up, and offered her his hand for her to stand up as well. "I'll be on the lookout, and if I think anything will hurt you, I'll stop it."

_Well something is hurting me right now,_ Aria thought morbidly, but didn't say out loud. She already felt skittish about Ezra pledging to protect her while he didn't know about the fangs; if he knew, she couldn't even imagine the danger it'd put him in.

But she didn't tell him this. Instead, she stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Once she was back on her feet, she turned around and started to walk away.

"Aria?"

Aria spun around to face her blue-eyed soulmate once more. "Yes?"

"The Halloween ball," he said simply, putting his hands into the pockets of his robes, an old habit of his. "Meet me here. We'll be away from everyone, but not far enough away that we can't hear the music."

"What are you saying?" Aria asked, unable to help the smile that was creeping up on her face. She was able to get a good idea of what he was talking about.

He just flashed another charming smile; the one he knew made her go weak at the knees. "I'm saying I think it's about time for our first dance."

Her smile just kept growing and growing. "Does midnight work for you?"

"You always were a fan of those well plotted love stories," he teased, taking step toward her. Aria rolled her eyes; at this rate, they'd be here all night.

"There's always just been something so romantic about midnight," she said dreamily as he continued to walk toward her. "I would know from all those sappy muggle movies my mother made me watch with her."

"Please, I know you," Ezra snorted, now an inch away from Aria's face. "You probably _loved_ all those sappy muggle movies."

Aria moved in even closer. "Every single one," she whispered sexily as she kissed him one more time. He smiled into the kiss, before pulling away. "Midnight it is."

She reached up to ruffle his hair lovingly before finally draping the Invisibility Cloak back around her and exiting the secluded hall, with a much lighter heart than she had first entering the hall.

However, her light heart skipped a beat when she had exited the hall completely; in her peripheral vision, she saw a tall, dark figure walking toward her. Forgetting for a second that she was wearing her Invisibility Cloak, she darted behind a pillar, making sure she was well hidden, as the figure walked past. She couldn't make out who it was in the darkness, until they lifted their hood and looked to their right, straight in her direction. His long, brown hair came into view, as did his concerned brown eyes and his chiseled cheekbones.

It was Caleb.

* * *

**Side Note: So thanks to the wonderfulness that IS Ezra Fitz (*tear*), Aria now knows about the Chamber. And now it looks like all of the spouses are aware that SOMETHING is going on with the girls, and are vouching to protect their loved ones. And there's no way Aria is passing up a slow dance at midnight; she's ARIA. And this is EZRIA. At least, the Ezria that ISN'T a fucking lie... But yeah. Dancing. It's basically a must at this point! Also, what is CALEB up to? So many questions. So many ANSWERS next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**You guys are great, and I hope you remember that forever. I'm SO CLOSE to 200 reviews all because of you magnificent human beings, and whether good or bad, thank you so very much! This story was so fun to write, and to know that you're all enjoying it really warms my heart XD**

**Bagilia: I mean c'mon, have you SEEN Caleb's cheekbones? They're OUTSTANDING! And haha, they're Ezria! If they're not cute, then you're screwed. And as for everything you just said, you just have to SEE! And a baby Basilisk? SUCH a Slytherin! Like, that's the Slytherin-est thing you can say of all the Slytherin things to say. And aww, shucks *bashful smile* Well, hopefully my huge nerd essay that I just PM'd you doesn't throw you off! And please, Bruno Mars is the MAN! Anyone not liking him is just blasphemy. And one step ahead of you, girl. I've had my swivel chair for YEARS! I'm a practiced Slytherin, clearly... okay, if I had a nickel for the amount of times we say the word ****_Slytherin_**** to each other...  
LAs: It's the Ezria we all love! I'm gonna be hiding under my blanket during all of EzrA's scenes now... that reveal was so incredibly chilling.  
Sarah: Don't worry about it! I know I'm a bitch when it comes to wanting all the reviews ever, but the fact that you're so apologetic for missing one chapter is so sweet. And haha, process like lesbian champs. Heather Hogan would be SO PROUD of you! Writing for Ezra in this story is certainly breaking my heart, but the show must go on, right? And yes, there IS gonna be Halloween, and it's gonna blow your freakin' mind. I'm not even kidding, you MIGHT explode. Someone might get murdered, someone might not, you never know at Hogwarts ;) stay tuned! And thanks for the review!  
Goldenheart11: I felt so horrible for Spencer in that scene... and I wanted to do a lot of things to Toby that I probably shouldn't say on here (especially since I know you're a Spoby shipper :/) And I KNOW! It's such a good twist, I'll say that, but my HEART! It's just too much, I'm literally going crazy. How Life Alert is not currently outside of my door is a mystery not even Ace Ventura can solve.  
erica: Can't wait for you to read it!  
Sgdp1261: Well, you're about to find out what Sneak Mr. Caleb (awesome nickname, btw) is up to. And oh thank god. I was so worried that instead of swooning like I intended, people were gonna be bawling their eyes out over the Ezria scene (hell, ****_I_**** was bawling my eyes out and I wrote it!). Thank you so much, and YES EXACTLY! Who's useless now? (The answer is Toby. Toby is the useless one).  
Titanium Wolf: Glad you liked this chapter a little better! And, well, I guess they both have green eyes then! I probably should've done a better job reading the epilogue, shouldn't I?  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Wow, well, that would be AWESOME if that happened! Although, he really probably is A :( How is Ezria supposed to be endgame NOW?! My heart ;( and aww, I'm glad you liked this chapter! Hopefully it didn't get _too_ emotional for you? Thank you so much.**

**Alright, chapter time. This shows more of the dysfunctional relationship between the girls, so hopefully you'll be pleased about that. ANYWAY, I hope you thoroughly enjoy it, and don't forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know whether you like it or not :D**

* * *

Caleb tiptoed down the corridor, keeping a wary eye out for anyone who might be patrolling the halls. Prefects, professors, anyone. Aria had the Invisibility Cloak tonight, so he was using the Marauder's Map to see if anyone was coming, and so far no one was in sight. But he knew he still had to remain cautious; if he was caught, he'd be expelled, and immediately sent back to his aunt and uncle and have to be greeted less than welcomely to his closet at home filled with ratty old wool sweaters that ended at his elbows.

He was _not_ looking forward to that, but Spencer sounded urgent when she asked for the map, so he reluctantly decided to find her so that he could give it to her tonight.

_Where is she?_ he pondered as he scanned the map, but Hogwarts was a large place; he had to look _everywhere_. He was so busy looking that he didn't notice a familiar name right next to his on the map, and was easily caught off guard when he felt someone tug harshly on his arm, pulling him out of open sight and into the hidden.

"What the - " he started to say, but someone smacked their hand over his mouth to shut him up. In fact, all he _saw_ was a hand; it was floating in mid air, the rest of their body concealed from sight. As soon as Caleb realized this, the hand let go of Caleb's mouth to pull off the Invisibility Cloak, and Aria came into view.

"Aria!" Caleb hissed. "What was that for?"

"What are you doing out at 1 in the morning?" Aria hissed back. "Someone could _see_ you!"

"I know, I'm sorry!" he said hastily, yanking himself out of Aria's tight, nervous hold. "I had to give something to Spencer."

"Spencer?" Aria took a step back, confused. "What did you need to give to Spencer? And why this late at night?"

"She needed the Marauder's Map."

"_What?_" Aria exclaimed loudly, forgetting for a moment the dangerous conditions that were surrounding them. "Spencer asked you for the Marauder's Map?"

"She said she needed it for Hogsmeade visits, although I'm starting to realize that that might not be the case," he said snarkily, glaring at Aria. "Aria, what the hell is going on? Why are you guys all suddenly sneaking around?"

"Aria? Caleb?"

The two jumped at the sound of the voice, but then relaxed once they saw who it was. "_Spencer!_"

"What are you two doing up?" she scolded, suddenly taking her prefect duties seriously. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Alright, Polly Perfect, give us both detention, I dare you," Caleb snapped.

"... Actually, I really don't do well in detention," Aria whispered to him.

"Doesn't matter!" Caleb finally said, whipping his hands out to the side to indicate that the conversation was finished. He then knelt to the ground to pick up the map, which he had dropped when Aria bodychecked him a minute ago. "Here's your map."

With enlarged eyes, Spencer snatched the map out of his hand and held it up right in front of her face. "You brought it to me?"

"You're the one who wanted it so bad," Caleb said with a shrug. "I was doing you a favor."

Surprised, Spencer brought the map back down. "How'd you even know - "

"That your shift was this late at night?" Caleb finished for her while he snatched the map back before crossing his arms against his chest. "Easy. I snuck Mona's monster of a schedule out of her bag so that I could see when you were on patrol."

"You snuck it away from _Mona?_" Spencer repeated with surprise.

"Yeah," Caleb confirmed with another shrug. "What is she gonna do? Bite me?"

"Okay, did you all, like, plan that joke out or something?" Spencer asked irritatedly as Aria snickered. "I'm telling you guys! She is five feet of insidious snark with a side ponytail and I just wanna _grab it_ and then I want to _yank_ it... really _really_ hard."

"Just don't yank it too hard," Caleb said smugly. "You might knock her over!"

Spencer rolled her eyes as Caleb and Aria laughed at his stupid joke. "Ha ha," she said sarcastically. "But no, I'm serious, Caleb_, just give me the map_."

By the end of the sentence Spencer was so worked up and breathing so heavily that Caleb and Aria took a full two steps back, their laughter dissipating completely. Spencer tried to reach for the map again, but Aria stopped her.

"Nuh-uh," she said sternly as she stood in between Caleb and Spencer. "There's no way I'm letting you sneak into the Infirmary this late at night. There's no sun in the room to kill all the parasites!"

"They're sick people, Aria, not undercooked meat," Spencer said with an eyeroll as she tried to reach over Aria to get the map from Caleb, but Aria held her hands up, dodging Spencer's every attempt. They didn't realize what a commotion they were making until there was a knock on the marble pillar on the edge of the entrance, and all three whipped around to see a tall, tan figure at the entrance, still in their Quidditch robes.

"Hey guys," Emily said timidly, only to get stares from the other three.

"Okay, I can understand _these_ two sneaking around, but you, Emily?" Spencer said incredulously. "That's low."

"I wasn't sneaking around!" Emily said honestly. "I had a late Quidditch practice, and some... _things_ happened at it, so I'm just taking time to clear my head."

"By walking around the corridor for an hour?" Spencer said in the same disbelieving tone. "Your mind works in strange ways, Fields."

"Whatever, I'm glad you're here, Em," Aria said. "Now you can help me stop _Spencer_ from doing something stupid."

"What is Spencer gonna do?" Emily said worriedly.

"_Spencer_ is going to do something that you two don't need to worry about," Spencer said simply.

"Can someone _please_ tell me what the hell is going on?" Caleb pleaded exasperatedly.

"NO!" all three girls said sternly at the same time, before turning back to each other.

"Look, forget about the Infirmary," Aria said finally. "I found out from Ezra what the Chamber of Secrets _really_ is. They just haven't taught it at Hogwarts because they were afraid it would make the school seem unsafe."

"Seriously?!" Emily whispered excitedly, and Spencer's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yeah, I can tell you guys about it tomorrow, _not_ in the middle of the night when our diplomas could be at stake if we're caught," Aria stated bluntly.

"You can tell the story while we're walking," Spencer said firmly as she pushed past Aria to get to Caleb. "Hand it over."

"Spencer, what did I _just_ say?" Aria said, frustratedly, from behind Spencer, as Caleb tentatively gave her the map.

Spencer held it firmly in her hand before turning back to Aria. "We're not sneaking into the Infirmary, Aria," she said excitedly. "We're sneaking into the library. All three of us."

"_What?_"

"Hey, what about me?" Caleb said from behind, only for Spencer to narrow her eyes at him.

"_You _are going back to your tower, and _you_ are going to pretend you never even saw this," she said firmly.

"Why would I _pretend_ that everything I just saw unfold between you three wasn't real?" Caleb said frustratedly.

"Because Hanna will kill us if we let you in on it," Emily stated bluntly, only to earn a sigh from Caleb.

"Fine," he said stubbornly as he started to walk away, but before he did he turned around toward Aria. "You know you're spilling everything to me once you get back to the dorm."

"Am not," Aria retorted.

"We'll see," Caleb said with a shrug, before he raised his hood and started to make his way toward the dorms. Aria turned toward the other two in fear.

"Oh god, if he has some truth serum under his sleeve, I am so screwed," she whined.

"We'll worry about Caleb later," Spencer said. "Everyone under the Invisibility Cloak."

* * *

"So wait, the Basilisk was _killed_?" Spencer confirmed as she trudged forward, holding the Invisibility Cloak over herself, Aria, and Emily, as the group made their way toward the Library.

"Yeah, and it was the reason behind the petrification of all these students back in the '90s," Aria explained. "So no one knows what could be behind it now."

"Another Basilisk, maybe?" Emily suggested.

"I doubt there's such a thing as _another_ Basilisk," Spencer said dryly, "but that's what we're here to find out. If Fitz is right, and they just haven't taught about the Chamber of Secrets here, then I bet we could at least find some books on it in the restricted section."

"What makes you so sure?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," Aria agreed. "I mean, are you _really_ so sure of everything you're so sure about?"

"_Yes_," Spencer said fiercely as she looked up, face to face with the double doors to the library. Taking a risk, she moved her hand from under the cloak so that she could try the door, but it was locked.

"Dammit," she muttered. "Dead end."

"But that's what this is for," Aria suggested cleverly, pinching the edge of the map in Spencer's hand. "Are there any secret passageways?"

Spencer held up the map as Emily held up the cloak. "Umm there might be. This way!"

She led the girls further down the corridor for several yards, until finally they came to some sort of destination. In front of the three was a brick wall made of solid stone bricks, but one higher up was noticeably looser than the others; you could tell by the spacing between it and the other bricks. Spencer took off the cloak as she stood on her toes and touched the brick with the tip of her wand, only to find it fell right through the wall. Amazed, she tried another brick; the same result. Getting more and more enthusiastic, Spencer kept poking at bricks until about 13 fell through, and when she tried poking again the others wouldn't budge.

Spencer sighed. "Well, looks like that's as far as it's gonna go."

"That's the secret passageway?" Emily asked, taking the cloak off of her and Aria as well.

"Yep," Spencer said with a head nod, still staring up at the wall. "That's it."

"There's no way," Emily said as she shook her head. "You'd have to be _minuscule_ to fit through that hole."

"Maybe that's the point," Spencer said thoughtfully as she continued to crane her neck upward to stare at it. "It's made so that hardly anyone can use it."

"But we need to get in!"

"And we will!" Spencer reassured. "It wouldn't be a secret passageway if _no one_ could use it. There has to be someone small enough to fit in that space."

It took Emily and Spencer a few seconds, until both of them slowly and surely looked down at Aria. Aria, noticing this, just rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. Step aside."

* * *

**Side Note: Of COURSE the girls are just gonna shove Aria into that tiny space and send her on a mission involuntarily. She's got romance, detective work, and a B&E all packed into one night... The poor girl has gotta be exhausted. Anyway, anyone catch references? Leave your guesses in the reviews!**


	22. Chapter 22

**OVER 200 REVIEWS WHAT IS LIFE?! Wow, you all are MAGNIFICENT! THANK YOU! Also, I'd like to specifically thank ShadowsOnTheMoon for her rapid-fire reviewing, AND for being my 200th reviewer! I apologize for all of the people that I gave the feels to last chapter with all the Ezria ever, but it's to help the story move along, so it was indeed necessary! Plus, it's EZRIA! I had to!**

**Now, congratulations to everyone who got the references!  
"She is five feet of insidious snark with a side ponytail and I just wanna grab it and I wanna yank it... really ****_really_**** hard!" 2x06 said by Spencer about Mona (shout out to Sgdp1261, Sarah, Lola, Titanium Wolf, LAs, Spoby, ShadowsOnTheMoon, Ava B, Bagilia, and Goldenheart11 for getting this one!)  
"Are you really so sure about everything you're so sure about?" 4x01 said by Aria to Spencer (Shout out to Lola, Ava B, and ShadowsOnTheMoon for getting this one!)**

**Also, shout out AGAIN to ShadowsOnTheMoon (you are on fire, seriously), for suggesting that I use that quote about Mona in the first place. It was a grand idea!**

**Also, an apologetic shout out to Ava B because I somehow managed to miss her review in my reply last chapter, and I have no clue how that happened but I feel terrible :( I'll reply this time/all the times ever, I PROMISE!**

**Sgdp1261: That's Aria for you. She comes in handy in these situations! Haha, I'm on the shorter side like Aria (5'2 and proud bitches!), so I can't resist making fun of her height through other characters since I never get to do it to anyone else ;) and I agree with you on Toby. Such a disappointment. But I still like vintage Spoby/love writing for him in here. And you'll see where little miss Aria is gonna end up by following the passage!  
erica: Yeah, turning books into rats would've been ineffective here. Plus, it's just more entertaining to shove Aria into small spaces!  
Sarah: Well, it's a hard task, but you can't blame a girl for trying! And please, we all know that Spencer is Shaggy in the Scooby/Shaggy duo that IS Sparia. I should've had her tempt Aria with Scooby snacks to climb into the crawl space, haha. And you're right. If Hanna finds out, she's not gonna be a happy camper... Thanks for the lovely review once again!  
Lola: You got both! Nice work :) and thanks!  
TotalCowGirl: Thanks! :)  
Titanium Wolf: Haha, I love that quote, so I just HAD to use it! Thanks! You're gonna LOVE Halloween :)  
LAs: Haha, I guess they view Aria as expendable? She comes in handy for these things, though, she can't help it! Caleb is dying with worry and curiousity, but I will say this: he might be clued in a little bit more fairly soon ;)  
Spoby: Yep, you got it!  
Goldenheart11: I'm sorry, I'm just so annoyed with Toby right now on the show. He is NOT the sweet guy that he was in the first 2 seasons... and oh man, when Caleb leaves both of my OTPs will be crushed. Ezra's A, Caleb's gone, it's like this show WANTS me to curl up into a ball of feels and never unravel. Anyway, Caleb will be clued in soon. Just wait ;)  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: I try my hardest to bring on the drama! ;) and you just described all of my feelings toward Ezria. Like, going back and watching all of their best, cutest moments, and realizing that it's no longer cute because it's all a lie... UGH! So upsetting. My babies! And wow, I'm so happy you loved that convo! The four liars are basically a married couple (OT4, if you will), and Caleb is just trying his hardest to understand it/see where he fits into it all, haha. And no worries! Glad you're all settling in. If you don't mind me asking, what college?  
elggup: Wow, thanks! And oh me, too. Ugh, how I miss the days when we didn't know it was all a lie ;( thank you so much, I'm gonna ****_try_**** to keep up the supposed winning streak!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Welcome back! Don't worry about the late reviews, you made up for them in literally the best way possible :) I'm a fairly big Paily shipper as well, but I'm so confused because... MAYA! I think I like Paige as a character better because of how layered she is, meanwhile Maya didn't really have as much room to grow. She was just fearless from the start. But the two are totally tied for whom I like for Emily. And Ezra :( the feels are SO alive and SO well, I can't even. Indeed, the CoS has been kept a secret from their generation, but maybe that wasn't the best idea on the staff's part considering what is happening... and HAHA, the underestimation Mona is getting in this story is possibly my favorite part of writing it. Spencer is like "Guys, I'm telling you, she's gonna eat me!" and they're just like "Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Spence!" And you are absolutely right. I am going to play your heartstrings like a freakin' FIDDLE, so I suggest you get your fiddle tuned beforehand ;)  
Bagilia: Tiny Aria comes in HANDY! She might hate it, but it is awfully convenient to the others, haha. INDEED! One more chapter to go, and you're gonna LOVE IT! I'm literally so excited for you to read it, and to see your reaction... you might pass out, just a fair warning. And YES, that cow piggy bank. I don't think I told you, but I have a stuffed cow that moos when you squeeze him! Not a piggy bank, but still a cow! And why must I be one step ahead of you? I don't know, maybe because I WROTE the damn thing? ;) Haha, all jokes aside, thank you for loving this chapter, and thank you for loving my nerdness and having that in common with your OWN nerdness B-)  
Ava B: Again, SORRY! But yeah, I agree. I don't want them to do to Ezra what they did to Toby. That was SUCH a cop out and a waste of potential character development on both sides. And with the way Toby is acting right now toward Spencer, it's not even BELIEVABLE because it seems like he doesn't even care about her at all. And haha, Caleb might be reluctant about it, but in the end he's gonna give in because he cares about the girls an insane amount. Thanks again for your lovely reviews AND your compliment toward my insanely long and annoying A/Ns, haha.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Dude, understandable. I've been occupied with the same shenanigans (which kinda sucks since I start school soon and haven't even finished my summer reading...). Hahah, play with the cool kids. Absolutely! Although Caleb is one cool cat himself B-) And it's easy to forget how smart Caleb is, I guess, so they just talk like he's not even in the room, not carefully calculating and putting the puzzle pieces together by everything they're saying. And Spencer/everyone is the OPPOSITE of discreet. This show should be called "Pretty Nondiscreet Liars". And haha, I love how you're so afraid of sounding rude that you post another review to apologize and add the "please". Not only is that polite, but it gains ME another review! You're awesome on so many levels, thank you again for the kind words!**

**Alright, chapter time. Little bit shorter, but some stuff goes down, and I guarantee you that by the end of it, some eyebrows will be raised. Read carefully, and don't forget to REVIEW!**

* * *

"Just keep crawling through until you see a way into the library," Spencer whispered up to Aria, who was already in the small tunnel entrance. "Then go the the Restricted Section, and just keep looking until you find something useful."

"How am I supposed to know if it's useful?" Aria whispered back.

"I don't know!" Spencer said irritably. "Just... look for something that says _Chamber of Secrets_ on it or something!"

Aria huffed. She doubted it'd be that easy, but it wasn't like anything was going to change Spencer's mind. "Fine. Be back in a few."

"When you come back, we'll be waiting under the tunnel entrance for you; you can just shimmy your way down and we'll catch you," Spencer said.

Aria nodded as she started to crawl through the hole, using her arms to heave herself forward. The tunnel must've been built for house elves or pixies or something; she just barely fit. Nevertheless, she kept crawling through, keeping a lookout for an entry into the library in the meantime.

After around 5 minutes of straight crawling, Aria finally spotted something; at the end of the tunnel was a square opening with metal bars, looking somewhat like a cage. Aria smiled victoriously as she instinctively sat up, which caused her to hit her head with a _thud_ against the ceiling to the tunnel.

Groaning inwardly in pain, she kept crawling toward the end, promising herself that one of these days she was going to step straight into an Enlargement Charm so her friends could stop using her to squeeze into small spaces. This wasn't the first time this had happened; even before all this mystery hunting and sneaking around started, she was always the one to crawl under the bed when someone dropped something under it, or behind a chair pressed against the wall, or if there was something that needed to be reached behind a chalkboard in a classroom, her small arms and hands were needed. It was just one of those moments where Aria wished she was _just_ a little taller.

Once she reached the end, she tried tugging at the bars, only to have no luck; they wouldn't budge.

_What's the spell?_ she thought to herself, tapping her nails against the metal flooring under her in deep thought. _Oh yeah!_

Struggling, she slid her hand further down into her robe pocket, searching for her wand. Finally, she had a firm grasp on it, and pulled it out to point it at the bars in front of her. "_Reducto!_"

At once, the bars shattered to pieces, making a great deal of noise. Aria winced, hoping against hope that it wouldn't draw any attention. Briefly scared, she counted to 20, and when no one came running into the room screeching and complaining about the noise, she figured it was safe to hop down and get started on her search.

* * *

"_Lumos_," Spencer whispered as she pointed her wand into the tunnel, illuminating the inside of it as she stood on the bricks, being careful not to slide off. Unfortunately, she didn't see any sign of a petite brunette crawling her way out, and that frustrated, and scared, her greatly.

"Where the hell is she?" Spencer boomed, leaping off of the protruding bricks and onto the ground as she started pacing around Emily to calm her own nerves, but to the point that she was making poor Emily dizzy. "It's been 10 minutes. Why would it take 10 minutes to find a couple of _books_?"

"Spencer, calm down," Emily said mellowly, trying to get a hold of Spencer to stop her from continually walking in circles, but Spencer just kept darting back and forth, too fast for Emily to get a firm hold on any of her limbs. "She's probably just looking for the _right_ book, okay? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Um, she could get _caught_ and _expelled_ and I could get in trouble for letting it happen under my watch and lose my prefect privileges?" Spencer said pointedly, eyes bulging from her head as she made her point. "Trust me, Emily, I already lost Head Girl; I don't need something else for Melissa to hold over my head."

At the last sentence, Spencer's voice faltered slightly, and Emily got a good look at her. She looked so helpless and desperate; it was something she rarely saw on Spencer. Well, at least never _helpless. _Desperate, yes; Spencer was the definition of desperate, but in the best way possible. She always had to climb and struggle and push to get to the top because she needed the admiration so badly. She always had something to prove. Emily was an only child, so she couldn't understand this; she was just naturally competitive when it came to sports. But Spencer? Spencer was competitive because she actually _needed_ to win.

"Spencer," Emily began comfortingly as Spencer stared up at the tunnel entrance. "You know, you don't need to compete with your sister. Once school is over, do you know how many opportunities are going to open up for you?"

"Not as many as the ones that opened up for her," Spencer muttered sadly as she looked away from the hole and started to walk toward the wall at the other end of the corridor.

"But why should that matter?"

"You don't know my family, Em," Spencer spat. "They're the ultimate image of Slytherin; ambitious, powerful, destined for greatness. And then they got stuck with me, and I'm nothing but a disappointment."

"You are not a disappointment!" Emily said frustratedly as she finally caught up to Spencer, pulling on her shoulder to fully spin her around so that she was facing her. "Spencer, you do realize that you're possibly the smartest person in this school, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course I've noticed," Spencer said casually, as if Emily had just asked her something as casual as if she'd noticed the particularly good weather outside. "But knowledge is useless unless you know how to execute it."

"Who says you don't know how to execute it?" Emily inquired. "With everything that's going on right now, I'm pretty sure without you we'd all be dead on the floor."

At this, Spencer let out a small giggle. She then bowed her head. "Don't joke about that, though," she said quietly. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of you guys."

"You won't," Emily said confidently. "We're in this together, remember?"

Spencer chewed on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully, her head still bowed. Yeah, they were in this together. But that didn't mean Spencer would let them go down with her if she went down, too. If anything, she just wanted to make sure each of the girls were safe, so maybe it was time she put her family issues aside and focused even _more_ intensely on the issues at hand.

Before either Spencer or Emily could say anything else, there was a giant _flump_ heard from behind them, and both girls whipped around. On the floor, on her back and moaning in pain, was Aria, straddling to her chest a stack of books. "_Really_, guys?"

"Shit!" Spencer exclaimed as she ran over to Aria and helped her off the ground. "What happened?!"

"You said you'd be waiting on the bottom and to just slide down, so that's what I did!" Aria moaned, holding her hand to her forehead in agony. She had just plummeted about 8 feet.

"Dammit, I forgot," Spencer mumbled as she pulled Aria completely upright. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Aria mumbled as she staggered backwards, leaning against the wall as she tried to reorient herself. It wasn't working.

"Alright, just breathe for a minute, and show me what you have," Spencer said as she pried the books out of Aria's arms, but Aria clutched them further to her chest before Spencer could get a closer look.

"No!" she said firmly, suddenly regaining her composure. "I'll just show them to you tomorrow."

Spencer blinked, confused. Why not tonight? Emily stepped in. "Spencer, we're all exhausted, and I have a game tomorrow. Can we please just go up now?"

Spencer looked between Aria and Emily, both of whom looked like they wanted to pass out right on the pavement. Spencer sighed. It _was_ pretty late at night. "Alright, let's go."

"Emily, do you need me to take you under the cloak back to the Gryffindor Tower?" Aria asked as she slowly propped herself off of the wall.

"I think I can manage," Emily said with a yawn as she started down the corridor, but not without a sideways glance at Spencer. "Remember what we talked about, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Spencer said with a head nod as she turned back to Aria. "Sorry about your head."

"It's fine," Aria said tiredly as she looked down at the books in her hand. "We'll look in them tomorrow, and then we'll have everything figured out, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Spencer agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Aria repeated as she parted ways from Spencer. But she watched as Spencer rounded the corner, making sure she was completely out of sight before she glanced down at the books in her hand, then back up at the tunnel entrance into the library. Feeling even more frightened than she had before, Aria held the books so closely to her body, that any closer would be considered Heimlich Maneuver, as she walked away, never taking her eyes off of the library in the process.

* * *

**Side Note: I know there are some Spemily fans out there, so I threw some in for you. Any thoughts? Theories? Sound off! ALSO, for all you Haleb fans, next chapter is gonna be a BALL for all of you ;) you've been waiting patiently, and I am here to deliver. Review a BUNCH so that you can get your next chapter up sooner!**


	23. Chapter 23

**You all seemed to get a kick out of Aria in the crawl space, and I really enjoyed reading some of your theories! As for whether some of them are RIGHT or not... you'll just have to wait and see ;)** **REVIEW TIME!**

**TotalCowGirl: Well, you might be right! Only time will tell, though. And thanks so much!  
Sarah: Typical Spencer, typical girls. They SUCK at sleuthing! But if they were good, we wouldn't have a show, now would we? Plus we wouldn't have anything to make fun of, haha. And I gotcha. I'm tiny like Aria, so I totally know what it's like when someone needs you to get something under a bed, or from behind a chair, or a bookshelf, haha. People like us at extreme heights (too tall/too short) are just too damn useful! And isn't that why we all love Spencer? I can relate to Spencer's #nerdpower especially, and all of the pressure put on her, and she really is SO much better than Melissa! Aria as 007... that is a sight to see. You'll find out why Aria's so freaked out. Granted, you won't find out until much later, but you will find out :) and HIGH FUCKING FIVE! The ghosts of the creatures she killed for her closet?! YOU ARE A TRUE #BOORADLEYVANCULLEN-ER! I literally laughed out loud.  
Titanium Wolf: Haha, that's Aria for you! She will rip you in half if you cross her, don't be fooled by her petite frame! Need evidence? See 4A finale for her KICKING CECE DRAKE'S ASS! And I was so mad that Mona was hardly in the finale! She's basically god. You don't exclude god like that. That's how you get run over by a bus :P  
lucy: Wow, thank you so much! Happy you're enjoying it! :)  
Sgdp1261: Haha, Aria's kind of a clutz, so it made sense/I thought it would be funny :D and indeed, you're gonna get a LOAD of surprises coming your way. And wow, seriously thank you so very much for that compliment. How sweet are YOU!?  
Alicia: Thanks! So happy you're enjoying it!  
elggup: Well, keep those theories at the front of your mind, because one of them could end up being true! ;)  
EmmersonTiriel: Wow, thanks! And well, we haven't seen Maya in a while, so I'm pretty rusty on her :/ and YES! Aria is so out of character on FanFiction, it annoys me so much (even if I'm somewhat guilty of that in my other fics, haha). People write her as such a wimp, when she's actually one of the feistier ones of the bunch. And all of the relationships will have their fair share of drama instore, no worries! And well, I'm gonna TRY not to make one character OOC, because I know that gets annoying, but one spouse has to win out in the end, so it's hard. I just write the characters how I see them in my head, and how I feel their personalities make themselves clear. Thanks so much for reviewing my story with such grace, hope to see you more on here!  
Ava B: Haha, thank you. YOU'RE awesome! ;D YES YES! You just described all of my feelings toward Toby. Like, dude. You were ****_A_****. You drove your girlfriend to the point of no return. You literally have no room to get mad at her/act like a douche. And haha, it's been a rough night for Aria. And you'll see in this chapter that it's not even OVER!  
Goldenheart11: Emily really is a sweetheart XD and seriously, everywhere Spencer goes she's gonna be buried in expectations. There's no escaping it ._. and yes, hopefully we'll be back to sweet Toby next season (it's about damn time).  
Bagilia: No worries, I'll try to ignore the typos ;) yep, here it is! Here's the chapter you've been waiting patiently for! We really are so much alike, it's almost scary. Hope you enjoyed your coffee, and hopefully you enjoy this next chapter!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Spencer's always gonna be worrying about Aria. "You're ****_really tiny!_**** And I ****_love you!_****" They're so cute XD aww, sorry about the almost tears! As much as I kinda WANT that to happen because it's so cool when your writing makes people emotional, I always feel so bad afterward, haha. Minnesota, eh? That sounds really cool! Best of luck to you :) and thank you for the kind words, can't wait for you to read the rest of it!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: You have EARNED that shout out, my friend. And haha, classic Aria. Ruining a moment with her clumsiness ;) and Spencer's just like "Oh whoops, sorry, I spaced. Too busy trying not to crack from chronic insanity." And man, it's always gotta be foreshadowing with you! How good of a writer do you even TAKE me for? Well, I could kill off one of the girls, but I don't know if I have the heart to... we'll have to see though! And seriously, you're one to talk! You made TWO of the main girls A, and killed off Vanderjesus about a dozen times! But I love you, so it's fine ;D thank you again for your fabulous reviews!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: No worries! Better late than never, as I always say. And haha, between the box and the crawl space, and now THIS, she's gonna develop some serious PTSD. And true, Spencer doesn't need her family; the liars can be her family! And as for what's going on with Aria, you'll find out! And haha, I really didn't know that already. You're too kind! Thank you :)**

**Alright, here we go. A lot of you have been waiting PATIENTLY for this chapter, and I am here to deliver. This is one of my favorite chapters, and I really, really hope I did it justice. I present to all of you: Haleb.**

* * *

Aria walked into her dorm in the tower, letting out a long, heavy sigh. What a night. She tried to ignore her pounding head as she tiptoed along the granite, sidestepping misplaced clothes and opened, unattended textbooks sprawled across the floor. Barney was in his cage, happily pecking at the metal bars when he saw Aria. She smiled as she placed the books from the restricted section onto the bedside table and then reached out to open the cage and stroke Barney's feathers, but the minute she extended her arm and released the metal clasp, someone grabbed her.

Aria gasped, but someone put a hand over her mouth before she could make any further noises. She tried kicking and flailing, trying her hardest to escape her attacker's harsh hold as they dragged her across the floor, but she soon realized whom it was when a lock of long brown hair fell into her face, and it sure as hell wasn't her hair.

Caleb dragged her out of the door and into the hallway, shutting it closed as he flung Aria out of his grasp. Aria stood back, as soon as she managed to catch her breath, and glared at Caleb.

"Really?!" she exclaimed. "You _actually_ managed to sneak into the girls' dormitory and _kidnap me_? Now I just think you're taking this magical hacker status too far."

"It couldn't wait until morning," Caleb said firmly.

"Then just come up and _ask_ me like a _normal _person!" Aria retorted.

"You know boys aren't supposed to be up here," he said. "I had to sneak my way in, tap a few barriers - "

"You just don't wanna admit that the gargoyles think you're a girl with your long hair," Aria scoffed.

"Okay, _now_ you're taking it too far - "

"Seriously, though," Aria interrupted, not giving him a chance to react to the previous statement. "Why would you sneak up on me in the middle of the night and scare me half to death to the point that I would've woken up my roommates for nothing?"

At this, he just smirked. "_That_," he began, "was simply revenge for _you _scaring the shit out of me earlier tonight."

Aria just rolled her eyes. "We're not talking about this now."

"If we're not talking about this now, we're not talking about this _ever_," Caleb snarled, and Aria was surprised by his fierce tone. "And you _know_ I won't settle for not talking about it ever. So spill it, Aria!"

"No," she said stubbornly, ignoring his long, well-thought-out monologue. "Now move away from the door so that I can get inside; if I leave my owl alone for too long with the cage open, he's going to eat the rest of my jewelry."

"Aria - "

"It's not my place to say!" she finally cried. "Hanna would kill me if I told you!"

"_Hanna_ needs to understand that I am trying to protect her," Caleb spat.

"Caleb, please, I'm exhausted, and my head is ready to split open," Aria pleaded. "I don't wanna do this now."

"Good, then I'll make it simple," Caleb said curtly as he crossed his arms against his chest, blocking the entry into the dorm. "Tell me what you know, and I'll let you go to bed."

"Well then we're gonna be out here all night."

"Aria," Caleb said, desperation crystal clear in his voice, in his _eyes_. "_Please_."

Aria stared at him, conflicted. He _needed _answers. He just wanted to keep Hanna safe, and she felt horrible for keeping him from doing his job. She loved Hanna, and Hanna would hate her forever for this, but Caleb was her friend, too.

Finally, she bowed her head as she sat down on the stone steps leading up to the dorm. "Well, I guess you know about the fangs, right?"

"Yeah, I could infer," he said dryly as he sat down next to her. "You got one, Spencer got one, _Hanna_ got one - "

"And Emily got one, too," Aria finished for him, causing Caleb to raise his eyebrows all the way up to his hairline in surprise. Aria sighed. "All four of us did, and that's about all we know. But someone is trying to hurt us with those fangs. You were right from the start; this isn't some childish prank." As Aria said it, the words seeped into her head, and it became more and more real to her. It also became more and more terrifying.

_Someone wants to hurt me and my friends_.

Taking a shaky breath, Aria continued. "We think that the fangs could have something to do with what happened to Mike, and the Chamber of Secrets."

"_Enemies of the Heir, Beware_," Caleb quoted ominously, before turning to Aria. "What _is_ the - "

"No way," she said as she stood up from the stairwell. "I'm not saying anything else. Just work with what you've got from that."

Caleb groaned, not bothering to change her mind. "Fine," he said as he got up as well. "I'll see you in the morning."

With that, he made his way down the stairwell, but he didn't stop at the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, where he would turn to go up the other stairwell to the boys' dorms. Instead, he kept going down the steps.

"Where are you going?" Aria called, noticing this.

He looked up at her from the bottom step. "I've got some amends to make," he said determinedly as he exited the the hall, while Aria shouted after him, "Do you _ever_ sleep?!"

* * *

Hanna lay in her bedpost, staring out the window as she stroked her cat, Cocoa - yeah, she was a tabby cat, but she always looked like a "Cocoa" to Hanna - and pondered over whatever just happened in the common room earlier. Lucas had kissed her. He had _kissed her_. She always thought it was strange how he acted like an overexcited labrador around her, but she never viewed it as _actual_ puppy-love; she always saw their relationship as purely platonic, and that his dog-like behavior was just a response to the drastic differences between the two of them: he was the shy, awkward nerd, and she was the "it" girl. There was _supposed_ to be awkward tension. Wasn't that how it worked in the movies? Or was it that the two of them were supposed to get _together_ and find something in common among their drastic differences? She didn't know; she kinda tuned out whenever Aria would make a reference to any of the sappy chick flicks her mother used to make her watch... even if deep down, Hanna kinda wished she owned a TV so that she could watch every single one of them.

She brought Cocoa up further against her chest, snuggling her face against her soft orange fur. She was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard a _thud-thud-thud_ against her window. At first, she just assumed it was a tree branch or something, but then the thudding got louder, and she soon realized that there _were_ no trees that close to the castle. Frightened, Hanna scooted away to the far edge of the bed, away from the window, with Cocoa still in her arms as she reached for her wand that was resting on the shelf above her pillow. With a shaking arm, she held up her wand for self defense, preparing for the window to open and for some horrible beast to come bursting through, about ready to kill her.

But after practically staring a hole through the window, she finally saw the source of the tapping; Caleb was tapping his wand against the window, hanging upside down, trying to _break into_ her dorm. Gawking, Hanna set down Cocoa as she sat up on the bed and climbed over to the window, undoing the latch so that Caleb could get in.

"What are you doing?" she whispered frantically. Caleb rolled through the window onto her bed, coughing and gasping to catch his breath.

"Waiting for you to open up," he gasped. "_Took_ you long enough!"

"That's _twice_ now you've scared me half to death in my dorm. I thought you were gonna kill me!"

He gave her a knowing look as he rolled onto his stomach. "And _that's_ twice now you've proven to me that you're hanging around Spencer too much. Quit it with the accusations!"

Hanna just stared at him as she climbed off the bed and stood in front of him. "You know," she started steadily, trying hard not to laugh, "some people would call this _trespassing_?"

"Are any of those people in this room?" he said quizzically.

"Well, if there are, none of them are _awake_," she answered back cryptically, causing him to break out into a smile as he rested his chin on his fists and lay flat on the bedspread, gazing admirably at Hanna, who felt self-conscious under his gaze. She was in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a white, see-through v-neck, with her hair in a loose side braid. Little did she know that Caleb didn't give a damn; to him, Hanna could wear a trash bag over a tribal skirt and still look knock-you-over stunning.

"What are you doing here?" she asked seriously as she leaned down in front of his face, getting down to business. He just kept grinning as he took her hand. "I wanna show you something."

"Show me something?"

"Yeah," he chirped as he got up on the bed. "C'mere, and bring the cat if you want."

"Her name is Cocoa!" Hanna whined as she blindly followed him to the window. "You've known that forever."

"Yeah, well I prefer her to be nameless," Caleb retorted snarkily as he opened the window further. "We haven't been on the best terms since she scratched my face on the train that one year!"

"Well, that scar above your eyebrow will always be a way for you to remember me by!" Hanna said optimistically as she scooped Cocoa up in her arms, but then stopped at the window that Caleb was climbing out of. "_Now_ what are you doing?"

"Just trust me okay?"

"I am not going to climb out of a window at two in the morning with my parkour master of a boyfriend!" Hanna whispered hastily.

"Hey, I'm just happy to know that after our little spat yesterday, you still consider me your boyfriend," Caleb said smartly.

"I'm serious, what good is out there? We live in the cellars."

"So much, Hanna," Caleb said in a worldly voice. "You don't know what you're missing. Just c'mon!"

Sighing in defeat, Hanna took Caleb's hand tentatively as she held Cocoa in her other arm. She should be angry at him for the argument they had the previous night, but she just couldn't stay mad at him... it was impossible. And if he was coming to apologize, then she was all for it.

She stepped over the window sill onto the landing. "Okay, now what?"

Caleb turned to her, the moonlight bouncing off of his perfect features. "I'm gonna show you how I got down here."

"Oh, you can_not_ be serious."

"Hanna, c'mon," he whined. "It has the best view. Please?"

Still not sure where he was going with this, she followed him. They walked along the landing until Caleb brought her to a cylindrical brick tower; it looked awfully similar to that of the Ravenclaw tower. Caleb held up his wand and pointed it straight at the brick. "_Aparecium!_"

Immediately, the brick started to rumble, and seemingly out of thin air appeared a series of protruding metal groves, much like that of a ladder, for one to climb up. Caleb turned back to Hanna. "Ladies first."

Giving a nervous smile, Hanna held Cocoa closer to her chest as she started up the ladder. Willing herself not to look down, even if looking up was just as scary, she climbed up.

"Are you sure about this?" she said in a quaking voice to Caleb, who was right behind her.

"Don't you trust me?" he said from behind.

_I did before,_ she thought grimly to herself. _After this, I'm not so sure!_

Finally, after what seemed like hours (the tower was very tall), they reached the top. Hanna let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding as she climbed over, Caleb not too far behind.

"That... was... way too scary," Hanna gasped in between breaths.

"I know," Caleb agreed as he climbed the remaining groves. "But look!"

Hanna looked at him, puzzled, before following where he was pointing. Instantly, her breath was taken away. "Oh... my god."

Out in the distance, from where they were standing on the tower, was a view of _everything._ The Black Lake, the Quidditch fields, the hills and mountains in the distance, the Forbidden Forest, all of it. And when bathed in the moonbeams, it looked even more beautiful.

"It's... it's gorgeous, Caleb," Hanna whispered breathlessly.

"Yeah," he said softly as he came up to her, although he wasn't looking at the view. He had his eye on something else.

"Yeah, you are."

Blushing, and thankful that he couldn't _see_ her blushing in the dark, Hanna turned to him, and was met with an embarrassed, apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I shouldn't have picked a fight with you. I was just tired of being left in the dark, and..."

"I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark," she said bashfully. "It was... stupid."

"No, it wasn't," he said denyingly as he took her hand in his. "You were trying to protect me, I understand that. But I'm trying to protect you, too. And now I finally can."

Hanna froze at this, nearly dropping Cocoa from her one-armed embrace. "Wait... what do you - "

"I made Aria spill everything," he admitted. "Well... mostly everything."

Hanna's heart sank. "Why would you do that?" she asked softly. She was tired of yelling, tired of being angry. Now she was just hurt.

"Because I'm tired of the secrets," he said painfully. "I want you to be able to trust me."

"It was never a problem of me not trusting you," Hanna snapped as she pulled her hand out of his and stalked over to the edge of the tower roof, where she promptly sat down. "It was a problem of you getting involved, and something happening to you the way it's happening to us!"

"What's happening to you guys?" he said desperately as he walked up behind her. "I can help, Hanna!"

"We're figuring it out," she muttered, still not turning around to face him. Caleb sighed as he got down to his knees and sat next to her.

"Remember the first time we met?" he said incongruently, almost giving Hanna whiplash by the way she turned to him in shock.

"Umm... yes?"

"You were dating that guy Sean," he continued, looking out into the starry night sky, looking so concentrated that one would presume he was trying to count every single star. "I think it was in... Potions class?"

"Yep," Hanna confirmed with a head nod. "You asked me for a spare quill and I told you to fuck off."

"I was so impressed," Caleb admitted with a laugh. "No girl, especially not a _pretty_ girl, had ever told me off like that!"

Hanna giggled as she took a risk and rested her head on his shoulder while she calmly stroked Cocoa's soft fur. "Why are you telling me this, Caleb?"

Caleb took his hand and lifted her head from his shoulder as he turned her toward him. "It was that day that I knew I wanted to make you mine," he said genuinely. "Sean could jump off a cliff for all I cared; I wanted you in my arms, next to me, and I never wanted to let you go... I was in love with you, Hanna, and I still am."

Hanna could feel her heart grow wings inside her chest as she impulsively leaned forward and kissed Caleb right on the mouth. She forgot about Lucas completely, and it seemed irrelevant now to tell Caleb about the kiss; it meant nothing, and wasn't like she had leaned into it or anything. He was the one who had pursued it. After several minutes, Caleb finally pulled away.

"So you understand where I'm coming from?" Caleb said hopefully.

"Yes," Hanna said through the widest, brightest smile she had to offer. "I love you, too, Caleb! I mean, look at us. We can't even survive one day of being mad at each other!"

Caleb matched up with her smile on his own face as he wrapped her in a big hug, until he heard a sharp _MEOW!_ along with a hiss and short, searing pain on his left arm.

"OW!" he yelped, as Cocoa leapt out of both of their arms and onto the center of the rooftop, only to turn around and stare back at both of them with her yellow, haunting eyes.

"That damn cat," Caleb muttered as he he wiped the blood off of his arm with the sleeve of his robe, while Hanna just laughed and laughed.

She was certain now; there was no place she'd rather be at two in the morning.

* * *

**Side Note: Magical hacker Caleb reporting for duty. Sorry for this haleb scene that is probably like salt on fresh wounds for everyone who'll be upset when Caleb makes his departure :( BUT you've gotta admit, they make a cute couple, and their moments together are ADORABLE! Also, knock-you-over stunning? I have to give credit where credit is due, and that phrase is a full on Heather Hogan-ism. She used it in her 3x16 recap when describing Lucy Hale without make up, and I thought it was so brilliant that I just HAD to use it in my writing! ANYWAY, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as much as I HOPED you would, and be sure to review with your thoughts! Also, get ready, because next chapter starts HALLOWEEN! :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**The explosion after last chapter... y'all really love your Haleb, don't you? I'll keep that in mind ;) Anywho, REVIEW TIME!**

**Bagilia: So I take it you liked the Haleb? ;) Haha, glad to know it was all worth the wait in the end (and the death threats. Good to know those didn't go to waste). And true, she didn't mention Lucas to him! Just keep that in mind... anyway, thank you so very much for the kind words! I told you to trust me! A Slytherin NEVER backs out on her word! Well actually, that couldn't be further from the truth, but when it comes to a fellow Slytherin bro, it's applicable :D  
Sarah: Thanks for the review! I look forward to them so much because of how awesome they are. And hmm, you WILL get a Hardy Boys BrOTP, I will say that. But it might not be between Caleb and Toby, it might be between two others ;) and the wizarding universe, of course! Indeed, Halloween is coming, and it's gonna be stretched out over a few chapters, too! So excited for you all, you're gonna LOVE it! It might just be my favorite grouping of chapters in this whole thing. And wow, right under Vanderjesus? I don't... I can't... I am not worthy! She's ****_Vanderjesus!_**** I will forever worship the ground she walks on, that perfect human.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Okay, that Starbucks scene was wayy too priceless. Although the show is guilty of some advertising hijinks, I'll tell you that. Insidious 2, anyone? And hey now, I never said you would find out about Aria next chapter! Those words never left my mouth... er, keyboard. I just said you WILL find out, although much much later in the story. Haha, I thought that was a pretty clever line worthy of Aria's sassy wit. And Caleb is smart! Of course he's gonna find out. But because he's Caleb, he's gonna do something dramatic and impulsive to get to the bottom of it. And haha, as a fellow Slytherin, you ****_know_**** that our minds work in strange, and a little bit evil, ways ;) but I think you'll like it! Thanks again for the review!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: That's Caleb for you! Always a prankster, but also a _trickster_. But then again, Aria's not too hard to crack. He pulled the puppy eyes. Works every time. And wow, thank you so much! I'm so happy you liked it, I worked hard on it for all of your viewing pleasures :) and I think we all want Caleb as our boyfriend. He's just too perfect! And I start school on Tuesday, too! But I'm in high school still :/ Wow, kinda late for college classes, but I still wish you all the luck in the world :D  
Titanium Wolf: Well, although it's Halloween this chapter, the actual ball doesn't start until a few chapters later. BUT some serious events will happen during this upcoming period of time, only to blow in everyone's faces at the ball ;) I'll let you know when it's time to turn out the lights, though!  
Goldenheart11: I'm gonna miss him even more ;( and indeed, big things go down on Halloween. Stay tuned!  
elggup: Yeah, sorry about the salt! Nevertheless, I'm very happy you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much! And yeah, we do need to salvage it as best as we can, but it's just so HARD! It's breaking my heart ;(  
Sgdp1261: Writing for Aria and Caleb is possibly my favorite part of my story. Why does he have to _leave?_ They didn't even get to make matching friendship bracelets! And haha, Heather is brilliant, I feel like I have to throw in a few references to her every once in a while. And as for Aria being a clutz: not to mention falling off of porches in bright leopard print PANTS! That's so Aria, haha. And ooh, that's gotta hurt :/ I am too, no worries. I'd give an example, but there's too many to name and I'm afraid the other examples will feel left out. Thanks for your review and for reading!  
Ava B: Haha, no. No she cannot. And Heather Hogan _is_ awesome. I am patiently awaiting her recap on the finale because I know it's gonna be amazing. Thanks again!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: No, I really can't, because I'm guilty of doing the same thing ;) and hmm, it would make sense to be suspicious of the cat. Hello? Peter Pettigrew anyone? And I'm glad you're enjoying Caleb's friendship with Aria. To be honest, I kinda am too ;) hehe. But seriously? Out of _all_ the funny lines you could've picked, you chose that one? Well alright. I'm so glad you loved this chapter, thank you so much XD  
TotalCowGirl: Thank you! :)**

**Alright, lovelies, here is the next chapter for you! Hopefully you've recovered from your previous swoonfests after that Haleb chapter, and you are ready to process the NEXT chapter before your eyes. Now, I must clarify: when I said Halloween, I meant Halloween during the _day_. All of the festivities are going to occur at night, which is in a few short chapters! Please don't be too mad, I'm sorry for not clarifying! But I think you'll still enjoy the next few chapters a great deal ;) so anyway, enjoy, and review your faces off! Which you've been so very good at lately ;)**

* * *

**October 31st**

"So," Professor Fitz said engagingly at the front of the classroom, "that's the cool thing about goblins; they had rebellion after rebellion, fight after fight, and yet somehow they just never. Gave. Up."

Most of the students nodded their heads; these were the boys. The _girls_ in the class gazed up at Professor Fitz, admiring his charming smile and his perfectly parted brown hair, imagining what it would be like to run their fingers through it.

At the desk across from Hanna and Spencer, who were sitting in the back of the classroom, Prudence Finn was drooling all over her notebook paper as she watched Ezra walk around his desk giving his surprisingly intriguing lecture; the guy sure knew how to entice students with a subject as seemingly boring as History of Magic. Even so, Spencer rolled her eyes as Prudence noticed the small puddle on her desk, and then struggled to wipe it up with the sleeve of her robe as she turned a deep shade of pink. This was Ezra's second year teaching at Hogwarts - well, third year if you counted him being a T.A. - and the girls _still_ couldn't get over how aesthetically pleasing he was.

_Get over yourself, bitches_, Spencer thought snarkily as she flipped the page in her textbook. _He's taken._

Spencer read the passage in front of her over and over again. She didn't have the required textbook for the class in front of her; she had one of the textbooks Aria had snagged from the library, and she was scouring the pages as she tried to absorb as much information as possible about the Chamber, and trying to connect it in her mind to what it could have to do with her and the girls. But Spencer's mind was so clouded that it was extremely difficult to tie everything back together.

Hanna stared blankly at the wall ahead, like she did for every class, before turning to Spencer and noticing that _she_ wasn't paying attention either. "What are you doing?" she whispered fiercely. "How am I supposed to copy off of your notes if you don't listen?!"

Spencer just rolled her eyes. "Relax," she said casually. "I had a lot of free time in the summer when I _wasn't_ getting coffee for Kingsley Shacklebolt, so I made study guides for all the material we'll be studying this year."

Hanna's eyes widened. "You are - "

"Insane?" Spencer finished without missing a beat, still staring at the page in front of her. "I'm over it."

"So then in 1911," Ezra continued up front, "the gargoyles were inspired by the goblins, and started up a rebellion of their own. They were a lot more successful since they actually took heed with their own strike, but they faltered toward the end when - "

"How are you even learning anything about the Chamber?" Hanna whispered to Spencer over Ezra's lecture. "You've just been staring at the same passage; probably even the same _word!_"

"It is working in my favor," Spencer snapped as she continued to stare at the same passage, the same _word_, despite Hanna's advice to do otherwise.

"Alright, so that's it for today's lesson," Ezra said as he closed his agenda at his front desk before looking up at the students. "Be sure you know the material well enough, because you _might_ have a pop quiz next class on it." He then delivered a well-timed wink - all of the girls in the class nearly fainted trying to suppress their moans of pleasure - before turning around to erase the chalkboard.

"A pop quiz?!" Hanna squealed before pounding her head against the desk. "Great."

"Why are you even in this class, Hanna?" Spencer said with a laugh. "It's a N.E.W.T. class. You knew that when you enrolled, didn't you?"

"Yes, Spencer, I knew that when I enrolled," Hanna said irritably as she raised her head from the desk. "But I also knew _you_ were enrolling in it, so I figured I'd just use you to pass the class!"

"How clever of you," Spencer said sarcastically as she started to put her books away. She looked up at Ezra at the front of the classroom, answering a student's question as he gathered up his own stuff.

_He had to study the Chamber of Secrets once,_ Spencer thought calculatingly. _I wonder if he kept some of his _study material.

"Oh! Have a great time at the Halloween Ball tonight!" Ezra called. "Try not to have _too_ much butterbeer!"

Majority of the students laughed at this joke; well, if laughing counted as a bunch of high pitched squeals of delight and fawning, then yes, it was laughing. A group of girls were giggling forcefully as they exited the classroom, being sure to wave goodbye to Ezra on their way out as he waved awkwardly back, unsure of what to do about the attention; he was still a little new to it.

Hanna snorted at this. "How do you think Aria would react if she saw all those girls fawning over her man?"

"Oh, she'd rip their heads right off," Spencer joked, but as Hanna laughed, Spencer turned away from her to look over at the bookshelves along the walls, underneath the windows.

_So many books_, Spencer thought to herself. _One of them has GOT to have something._

"Spence, you coming?" Hanna asked as she made her way over to the door.

"Um, actually I'm gonna stay here for study hall," Spencer said distantly, her gaze still focused on the books on the far wall.

Hanna made a face at this - she was hoping Spencer could come with her to tutor her in another class - but Spencer didn't see it; she just kept staring at the books on the shelves with the intense face she always made when she was onto something.

"Um, okay," Hanna said awkwardly. "Happy studying?"

When Spencer didn't answer again - she tended to be oblivious when she was in the zone - Hanna just rolled her eyes and walked out. She was used to this by now. After a minute, Spencer finally turned around to realize that Hanna was gone, but she didn't have time to be disappointed about it; she had to set to work. Immediately, she made her way toward the bookshelf while Ezra stood up from his desk, straightening a stack of papers to carry over to the back of the room and place in the file cabinets.

"Staying in here today, Spencer?" Ezra asked as he walked toward the back of the room.

Spencer turned to smile at him. "Yep, looks like it. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course," Ezra said warmly as he put the papers in the cabinet before shutting it, clapping his hands against each other to get any chalk dust off of them. "You're always welcome."

"Thank you, Ezra," Spencer said gratefully as she turned back to the books on the shelf. She was the only one of the girls, besides Aria of course, who actually called him by his name - Emily and Hanna didn't really call him anything. It was probably because Ezra saw a confident in Spencer; she was very mature and aware, and they would often have intellectual discussions when she had time to stick around for study hall like she did now. He also never minded her reading or doing other work in his class because he knew how easy it was for her. It was pretty amazing to Spencer; back when she was a first year and he was a seventh year, and when she would see Ezra in the hallway every now and then, she would've never imagined that the two of them could be friends the way they were now.

Spencer started to walk toward his shelf again to get a closer look, when Ezra cleared his throat from behind her.

"Spencer, where did you get this book?" he asked, and the apprehension in his tone made her whip around.

"Err, I..." she began, racking her brain for an explanation. "I um... found it in the library."

"That's not possible," he said, perplexed, as he flipped through the pages of the book that was on Spencer's desk. "There's no way this book would've been in the library."

"Why?" Spencer asked as she made her way over to him, getting a closer look at the book in his hands. He was flipping through the pages of _Dark Magic: What it is and What it has Caused_. Finally, he flopped the book down on the desk, and it opened to a specific page, one she had specifically marked with a sticky note:

_Chapter 18: The Chamber of Secrets_.

"Why are you researching the Chamber of Secrets?" Ezra whispered across the desk to her.

"Because it's been opened, obviously," Spencer said bluntly. Ever since Malfoy had dropped, the girls, and the rest of the school for that matter, had been particularly on edge. For one, Mike and Malfoy _still _hadn't woken yet. And to make matters worse, they still weren't getting _any_ leads on where the fangs had come from. Spencer constantly felt like she was going backwards, a feeling she despised.

Ezra just stared down at the page, growing paler by the second. "No, you can't be looking into this. Do you know how much trouble you'll get into?"

"Why would I get into trouble?" Spencer asked steadily; part of her was actually curious, and the other part of her was being cautious. Trouble did _not_ look good on her record.

"Spencer," Ezra began quietly, "McGonagall has sent a search team throughout the school to look for anything that could clue into the Chamber, and what is causing these student petrifications."

"What does that have to do with me being an eager student seeking for knowledge of what's happening around me?" Spencer challenged.

"Well, _I_ can't argue with that," Ezra said lightly, trying to break the tension a little, "but that's not the point. When she hired the search team, the _Daily Prophet_ got a hold of that little piece of information, and now journalists have been on the hunt everywhere for juicy bits of information."

"Such as..."

"Such as the Minister's former intern clutching research material on the Chamber to her chest?" Ezra suggested as he wiggled the book in mid air, giving Spencer a knowing look.

It took a second, until Spencer finally realized what he was suggesting. "Will people think that _I_ was the one who opened it?"

"People these days spin up crazy stories," Ezra whispered with a grim shrug. "I would just be careful, okay?"

"Alright, alright," Spencer said with a sigh as she grabbed the book from Ezra and shoved it into her bag. Ezra started to walk away from her desk and back toward the board, until he spun around.

"Aria asked me about the Chamber the other night," he said softly, his blue eyes widening with concern. "Why are you two so interested in it?"

"What's not to be interested in?" Spencer offered up. "Obviously the school is hiding something when it comes to the Chamber; can you blame us for wanting to know more?"

"But it's too dangerous," Ezra said with pleading eyes. "At least, McGonagall is playing it out to be extremely dangerous. I..." He then let out a shaky breath. "I don't want Aria getting involved. I told her I'd keep her safe, and I can't do that if she's ducking her head into everything Chamber-exclusive."

"But there's something out there, Ezra," Spencer said daringly. "Something that no one knows about... and we need to find out what it is."

"Why you?" Ezra said pointedly. "You know, Spence, you don't always have to be the one to solve everything. You _can_ let someone else take the reins."

"No I can't!" Spencer argued.

"Why not?"

"Because... I just can't," she said stubbornly as she fiddled with the buckles on her saddlebag that she used to carry her books; cauldrons were _so_ first year, anyway.

"... Okay," Ezra said suspiciously, giving her a look that said, _we're not done here_, before walking back over to his desk. "Well, I have a meeting in a few minutes. You'll watch out for those reporters, right?" he added as he took a sip from the coffee mug sitting on his desk.

"Yeah, I will," she said with an affirmative head nod. "Thanks for the warning."

"Sure!" he sang as he gathered his things in one giant stack. "See ya, Spencer."

"Bye," she said with a wave. "Oh! And I'll see you at the ball tonight?"

"Yeah, you will!" he confirmed as he stood by the door, and she gave him a coy smile.

"Good. Because I know _someone_ who'll be looking forward to it..."

"Believe me," he said with that famous grin, the one that could light the Eastern Seaboard, as he thought of the petite brunette Spencer was speaking of. "I'm looking forward to it _just_ as much."

And with that, he exited the classroom. Spencer was just about to follow out after him when she stopped.

_All of those unattended books,_ she thought to herself. _Maybe one of them has something that I'm looking for._

Without even pondering over it for a second, Spencer dashed over to the bookshelf and started searching.

* * *

**Side Note: I've always loved the spezra scenes on the show, so I wanted to establish a companionship between them in my story. Of all of Aria's friends, I think he respects her the most. And Spencer is getting to WORK on this chamber research it looks like. Get it girl. Get it :P Anyway, be sure to keep reviewing like you have been ever since this story first made it's way to the internet, and keep being your FABULOUS selves, and wait patiently for the next chapter tomorrow ;)**


	25. Chapter 25

**TotalCowGirl: Thanks! :)  
Sarah: That's Ezra for you! Can you blame the kid for being so heart-wrenchingly attractive? And haha, that would be great, but Ella is in her muggle house right now! And okay, hints. Well, you already know Hanna is gonna be a house elf, and you're gonna find out what Emily is this chapter! As for Spencer and Aria... I'll let that be a surprise ;) I wanna hear your guesses, though! And ooh, I didn't include that, but how great would that be?! Oh Vanderjesus...  
EmmersonTiriel: Thank you so much! I try hard to write it like you would see it on the show, and I want it to seem alive for all of you! I'm really happy you're enjoying this story! And oh, Caleb will find out. I wouldn't put that part in if he didn't end up finding out ;) you'll have to keep reading!  
Ava B: Spencer is INDEED the biggest Ezria shipper of them all. You just don't know what you're gonna get with that girl! Definition of unpredictable.  
Titanium Wolf: Well aren't you clever ;) indeed, you WILL see that beetle in a few chapters! I'm looking forward to it, and hopefully you'll like the way she fits into the story. And YEAH it's gonna be more than 50 chapters! It's edging on to SIXTY! And please, the pleasure is all mine! It was so much fun to write.  
elggup: Thank you! And well, I think Harry has been through enough in his lifetime, and McGonagall knows it. She wants to be able to handle this herself, and she cares about Harry a lot, so I doubt she wants him being in any danger.  
Sgdp1261: Haha, I thought they were pretty great, too, which is why I included them! They would make a pretty good couple, but I'm perfectly fine with Ezria and Spoby the way they are :) and yeah, I had a teacher that was just as cute as Ezra (well, ALMOST, because no one is as cute as Ezra)... let's just say I didn't do as well as I COULD have in that class :/ thank you so much for your reviews, you're awesome!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Thank you! Haha, it would be QUITE entertaining to watch Aria rip the heads off of all those fangirls. And Spencer in Azkaban would be a sight to see... whether it's a sight you're GOING to see, that's for me to know and for you to find out ;)  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Thank you! Spencer probably had on her "Hastings face", wouldn't you agree? And I'm relatively excited (mainly just because summer gets boring at this point), but seriously, let the stress begin :/ and madness, MADNESS I tell you! You're gonna like it I'm sure ;D  
Silver-Infinite: Unfortunately, no, Alison is not a part of this :/ hope that's not a deal breaker for you!  
****UngluckLiebhaber: Don't worry about it, I understand! And haha, isn't it depressing? The 90s were a fun time... floppy disks, back-to-back cartoons on Saturdays, N*SYNC, and Full House. Those were the days. I'm really happy that you're liking this story, and hope to see more of you in the reviews!  
Goldenheart11: Haha, Spencer is pretty no-bullshit, it's entertaining, and of course Ezra is his cute little bumbling self so he doesn't know how to handle her ;P and it is a QUALITY NAME! My goal is for the entire planet to get on saying that name, it's classic. Also it's a Heather Hogan-ism, so anything in her name deserves praise.**

**Alright, guys, now for the chapter. It's KIND OF a filler chapter, but it's got some cute stuff in here that hopefully you'll enjoy. The next chapter, though... THAT'S gonna be where the excitement really starts. We're not at the Halloween ball quite yet, but there are some pre-ball events that really get the ball rolling (hehe, no pun intended). So enjoy this chapter, hopefully, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

At lunchtime that same day, students entered the hall with eyes bigger than saucers as they surveyed their surroundings. The Great Hall was decorated entirely in Halloween attire; pumpkins adorned each of the house tables, some even in different colors and sizes. Some were orange, some were purple; some were large, some were small. The grey brick walls surrounding the students were decorated with orange and black streamers, and fake spiders hung from pieces of string of different lengths from the ceiling.

"Looks like they decked out the place," Toby said as he craned his neck to look up toward the ceiling. Emily laughed as she walked beside him, taking in the beautiful sight of the hall.

"How much money do you think Professor Longbottom used to bribe McGonagall into letting him dye those pumpkins?" she asked quizzically as her eyes fixated on Longbottom on the far end of the Gryffindor table, using an antique camera to capture photographs of every single plant in sight, while McGonagall just shook her head in the background.

Toby chuckled heartily at the sight of this. "Oh, I think we're in galleon territory for that one," he joked. "So, are you excited for tonight?"

"So excited," Emily beamed. "Paige and I are going as matching dementors!"

"That sounds both hot _and_ frightening at the same time," Toby joked again, causing Emily to throw back her head in laughter. It felt good to laugh again; ever since the awkward encounter at the Quidditch field, Emily could feel Paige distancing herself from her. She noticed it in the locker rooms before the game they had the next day, _and_ she noticed it after the game, when they narrowly won when Lily caught the Snitch, and Paige hadn't even run up to hug her like she usually did. They still sat next to each other at meals, and they still talked, but Emily could tell that Paige was hurting. If she'd just let her _explain_, they wouldn't have this problem, but it wasn't like that mattered now. Tonight was the Halloween ball, and they were going to have an amazing time.

"What about you and Spencer?" Emily asked as they walked further into the hall, squinting their eyes as they adjusted to the dim, candle-lit atmosphere. "What are you going as?"

"You know, it's weird," Toby said uncomfortably. "We... haven't even talked about it."

"Are you serious?" Emily said, shocked, as she turned to Toby with a confused, yet also slightly horrified, expression. Sure, Spencer was uptight and bossy half the time, but Toby had a way of shedding light on her romantic side. She figured they'd at least have something _planned_.

"Yeah," he said as his face contorted to one of confusion as well, to match Emily's. "She's been weird with me lately. It's almost like she doesn't wanna _be_ with me anymore..."

"Toby, that's not true," Emily assured him as she placed her books at her own house table and slid back her chair. "She's Spencer! She's probably just overwhelmed with school work. Do you know how many N.E.W.T.-level classes she's taking?"

"She was never like this in the past," Toby muttered sadly.

Before Emily could respond, she heard the repulsive sound of two people cuddling up across the table from her, and she automatically knew who it was; cuddling was never repulsive unless it came from _two specific people_.

"Hey, Cavanaugh!" Noel said tauntingly. "This is the _Gryffindor_ table. Get your lonesome scary ass out of here!"

Toby grimaced at Noel, as well as his sister, who reluctantly sat back chewing on a hang nail, decidedly doing nothing, before saluting Emily and walking back to the Slytherin table. Emily's face hardened as she turned to Noel. "You don't need to be so mean to him, you know."

"Sure I do," Noel said with a shrug as Jenna snuggled further into his welcoming arms. "If I didn't, I wouldn't. I only _kill_ when I need food... or when I'm bored."

Jenna guffawed at this joke like it was the funniest one she'd heard in ages as she kissed Noel full on the mouth.

Emily just scoffed. "Alright, fine," she said coldly. "Then Jenna, I suggest you join him."

Jenna froze, mid-kiss, as she turned to Emily; sweet Emily Fields, who hardly stood up to anyone, ever, that was now speaking up. "Excuse me?"

"This is the _Gryffindor_ table," Emily simpered as she nodded her head, as though she were speaking to a five-year-old. "So I suggest you get your lonesome, _blind_, scary ass out of here."

"Hey watch it!" Noel started to say, but Jenna had already got up from the table and stormed away, scowling the whole way. Noel shook his head as he went after her, shooting Emily a threatening glare as he did so, and Emily just smiled victoriously as she sat back in her chair. Toby had always been such a good friend to her; when he and Emily were first years, she saw right through his shy, introverted act, and had tried opening up to him. It had worked, and the two became fast friends. She was the one who had given him the courage to ask out Spencer, the girl from her group of friends that he had been crushing on for years, and he was the one who had given her the courage to come out. They made a good team, and Emily didn't want to see him hurting anymore than he wanted to see her hurting.

For the rest of her meal, she took her focus off of Noel and started thinking about the Halloween ball tonight; since she was so deep in her own thoughts, she didn't notice when Noel didn't return to the table. _And_ she didn't notice when he didn't stay standing to go after Jenna, but instead to go after another brunette. One of shorter stature and regularly functioning eyes.

_Mona._

* * *

"You have our costumes ready?" Hanna asked cheerfully as she held Caleb's hand entering the Great Hall. She didn't even notice the decorations; she was too intently focused on the person beside her.

Caleb smiled his famously witty-looking smile. "Sure do. You are gonna look _so_ good."

"No, I think you're mixing me up with _yourself_," Hanna said knowingly. "But it's not like that matters; at some point the party is gonna blow, so we need a plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Duh," Hanna said bluntly as she halted, pivoting her feet to turn to Caleb. "I figured since we're gonna be _house elves,_ we might as well have a little fun with the costumes."

"How so?" Caleb asked, intrigued.

Hanna grinned as she stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, "We sneak into the kitchen."

"Are you insane?" Caleb whispered hastily back, but he couldn't hide the gigantic grin that spread straight across his face.

"Yeah, why not?" Hanna asked. "I mean, I go there every day to get to my common room."

"Yeah, but what would we even _do_ in there?"

"We cook," Hanna deadpanned. "That's what a kitchen is used for! And that's what couples do. They _cook_ together."

"They do?"

"Sure they do!" Hanna said casually. "I read it in one of Lucas's muggle magazines."

"Lucas, eh?" Caleb said curiously. "Well, I don't know how I feel about him giving my girlfriend such ideas."

Hanna's stomach did a small somersault when he said this. Did he know? Was he just dropping hints?

_No, he can't,_ she thought to herself. _He's just joking, right?_

Pushing these thoughts to the side, Hanna took a step toward Caleb, giving him the best puppy-dog look she could. "Please?" Although she pronounced it with a "w" instead of an "l", making it sound like, "Pwease?"

Caleb just looked at her weirdly, but she could pinpoint the light in his eyes as he pondered this. "Something tells me this is a terrible idea. No one is going to believe that we're _actually_ house elves, after all. I mean, maybe if we were _Aria's_ height - "

"That's not important!" Hanna said, giggling again. "All of the house elves are gonna be at the dance! We'll have the kitchen to ourselves, where we're going to cook our asses off."

"Really, now?" Caleb said charmingly. "No house elves to bother us? Well then, count me in. I mean, I _do_ love a good cooking session."

"Good," Hanna said shortly. "Because we are going to make an _unforgettable_ Dong Po."

Caleb couldn't help it; he immediately snorted at the name, ignoring Hanna's offended expression. "Say it again."

"What? No!"

"Please?"

"Absolutely no - "

"Do you want me to join you or not?"

Finally, Hanna sighed as she wrapped her arms around Caleb's shoulders to whisper sexily in his ear, "Dong. Po." Then with one final kiss on his cheek, she walked over to the Hufflepuff table for lunch. Caleb felt like he was walking on air after he left; he couldn't be happier that they were on good terms now. But he knew he had to be careful; their relationship could be at stake if this person behind the fangs was out for blood. But it was worth if it meant protecting her.

He was about to walk toward the Ravenclaw table when he stopped dead in his tracks; something that he saw across the hall sent a chill up his spine, and the sight of this person normally didn't even evoke that kind of reaction.

Lucas was standing there, staring at Caleb. Just _standing_ there, shooting daggers straight through Caleb with nothing but his eyes. Caleb tried to turn away, but he found that he couldn't. He locked his gaze with Lucas's, entranced by his dark eyes. It seemed like he was trying to send him a message, but he couldn't figure it out.

By the time Lucas rolled out of the hall and looked away from Caleb, Caleb could fully infer that whatever message Lucas was trying to send, it was nothing good.

* * *

**Side Note: Tomily :D I've always loved this friendship. It's part of the reason I wasn't the biggest spoby fan at first, because it just made me so sad for poor Emily, who was basically the third wheel! But it's all good now. References, anyone? BIG HALEB REFERENCE HERE. Guess which scene ;)**

**And another announcement: as I have mentioned before, I _have_ started school officially, so updates will be a tad bit slower. I'm gonna try to keep updating daily, but they're gonna be later in the day than usual. Can you guys handle that? Fabulous. See you next chapter!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello, you fabulous bunch of lovelies. I'm back with another chapter! Now, here are your references:**

**"I only kill when I need food. Or when I'm bored." That's an Alison quote, y'all ;) congrats to Guest and Ava B for getting it!  
And then the entire Dong Po conversation! Titanium Wolf, ILoveYou, Ava B, Bagilia, Sgdp1261, and Guest got this one, so congrats to them! Classic Haleb, am I right? REVIEW TIME!**

**TotalCowGirl: Thank you!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: I really do love Tomily. My favorite is when he's in her room, and he removes that height chart from her wall, and then she talks about how he was the only one to see through her "straight" act, and then she kisses him on the cheek. HOW ADORABLE IS THAT?! Such good friends :) what happened to them? And you'll find out what's going on with Lucas shortly! And ew, SCHOOL. I'm gonna need all the luck I can get, haha.  
Titanium Wolf: You basically described all of my feelings about Paily and Emaya. It's just... I can't! I love both! I basically went with my gut on the endgame couple for Emily, so hopefully it's well received... Glad you liked this filler chapter! And no worries, the Halloween ball is in just a few short chapters! The wait will soon be over ;)  
ILoveYou: First of all, nice pen name. I love you too XD second of all, thank you! Can't wait to see more of you in the reviews! (hopefully?)  
Guest: Oh, I can tell you are an avid afterellen reader just by that first sentence, and it took me a solid day to realize that this is most likely Sarah XD your reviews are just so distinct! But if this isn't you... awkward. Paige and Emily will be having a talk of _sorts_, I can say ;) and everything you just said about Toby I completely agree with. But remember, none of that has happened in this story since it's AU. This is VINTAGE Spoby. You know, at that time when they _weren't_ annoying? And I love sassy Emily too! "You fuckers may have heard I've killed a guy?" Bahaha. And no, I am not a wizard, but I sure as hell wish I was! I still think my owl got lost on the way to delivering my letter when I was 11. And aww, I happen to like Dickens! _Tale of Two Cities_ was a classic. But I understand it getting boring after a while, even if his prose is impeccable. Alright, enough praising of literary geniuses! Thank you so very much once again :)  
elggup: I love Tomily too! Which is kinda why I wrote them in haha. And can't wait for you to see more!  
Ava B: Haha, that's so funny! I tweet her every once in a while because she's just so wonderful. And every so often she'll favorite my tweets, and once she replied! We were having a conversation actually, haha. It was pretty much the best night of my life :D another time I tweeted her my story, and she favorited the tweet, but she never indicated whether she actually read it or not. I hope she does though!  
Ayoungnovelist: Wow, I'm glad you're liking it! Pretty impressive that you read this whole thing in one day haha. But luckily there's even more to come ;) thank you so much for the review!  
Bagilia: You are CRAZY, and I love it. And well, Lucas might just be a threat to Haleb, but you never know! But Hanna loves Caleb, and she always will. Just remember that ;) and haha, no, I like Spezra too! Just not as a couple. Just like I like Aria/Caleb, and Spencer/Caleb, but not as a couple either. I just love when spouses are friends with one of the other girls, okay? And yes, unfortunately, I will be less frequent :( but no worries, you will still get to read the story that you love!  
Silver-Infinite: I would love to write more mashups! But this is the only one I could come up with well enough, haha. The two worlds just fit so perfectly together! But thank you so much, I'm glad you're liking it!  
Sgdp1261: Haha, no worries. Better late than never! And I'm glad you liked this chapter so much. I think you'll like this next one even more, honestly ;)**

**Before I get onto the chapter, I have a request: I hope this doesn't seem like much, but if everyone on here could tweet this story to hhoagie, saying it's a PLL/HP crossover, it would make my life. Ava B gave me this idea, haha, but seriously if she read this story I might faint. So if you all could PLEASE do that, I would love you even more than I already do. You guys have been fantastic reviewers, and I am thankful for each and every one of you. YOU'RE the reason I write these stories, haha.**

**Alright, now the reason you came here: your new chapter. This one delivers a lot of answers, and it's gonna start to make a little more sense (or none at all, idk) for you. Also, I threw in some Sparia for you all, because why the hell not? Hopefully you really enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review like the wind! I already know you CAN, so keep it up!**

* * *

That same day at lunch, Spencer slurped on her chicken noodle soup as she flipped through the stack of books at her seat. She decided to ignore Ezra's warning; she had business to take care of, after all, and she was sure she could keep an eye out for any suspicious _Daily Prophet_ reporters while she did so.

Because of the Halloween ball tonight, Spencer's teachers were a lot more lenient on the homework, so she found it was easier to concentrate on the books from the library, as well as the books she had snagged from Ezra's classroom, on the Chamber. She felt more knowledgeable on the subject than she had before, but there was still something missing; she needed to know more.

Deciding to take a break, she closed the textbook in front of her and put it on the table while she did a quick scan of the room. As far as she could tell, there were no reporters in sight, but something _did_ catch her eye. Mona and Noel were talking again, and their conversation was seemingly deep. Spencer remembered the conversation that they were having the night of the prefect's meeting; saying that they were "set for tomorrow". And then the next day, Malfoy was down for the count. Could they have something to do with what was happening to Spencer and her friends?

Without taking time to think about it, Spencer slowly slid out of her chair as she crept on the balls of her feet over to where Noel and Mona were standing. They were talking off to the side, and with the way she was gesticulating and the way he was making annoyed faces at her, it looked intense. But by the time Spencer even got into any kind of hearing distance, Noel had bid Mona farewell and had walked off.

_Dammit_, Spencer though angrily, instinctively stomping her foot on the concrete. This did not go unnoticed by Mona, who jerked her head in Spencer's direction, a patronizing smile plastered on her face.

"Spencer?" she said as she walked over to her. "Are you here to ask me for an update on the schedule?"

Before Spencer could even stop herself, she cleared her throat. "No," she said icily. "I'm here to ask you about something else, and I think you know what."

"Actually, I don't," Mona said slowly, eyes wandering around the hall, as if she was checking to make sure there were people nearby to break the two up if they got into a fight. "Unfortunately, being _Head Girl_ doesn't come with full-fledged knowledge on unspoken legilimency."

Spencer stiffened. If Mona was going to bring up their unspoken rivalry over being Head Girl, a title Spencer _knew_ she deserved more, then she was willing to play dirty.

"A couple weeks ago, I heard you and Noel talking about some plan you were going to execute," Spencer said carefully.

"So you were eavesdropping," Mona said in a voice that dripped with accusation.

"You're not eavesdropping if you just happen to be within earshot," Spencer spat. "The point is, the next day Scorpius Malfoy was rendered unconscious. Know anything about that?"

"Why would you think that had to do with me?"

"Because someone had to open the Chamber of Secrets!" Spencer exclaimed. "And my money is on you!"

Suddenly, all of the commotion heard around the hall stopped, and Spencer froze. She didn't even realize how loud she was being. Mona immediately went pale; Spencer didn't know if it was because she was caught red-handed, or if it was because she was embarrassed of being accused in such a public environment.

Before Spencer could even begin to process what just happened, she felt someone tug on her arm and pull her out of the Great Hall and into the corridor.

* * *

"Spencer, _please_ tell me I didn't see what I think I just saw," Aria said, panic-stricken, as she stalked down the hall with a firm grasp on Spencer's arm.

"Sorry, looks like you did," Spencer said with a sigh as she managed to work her way out of Aria's grip, while still following closely behind her. "But I don't regret it, okay? We're not gonna get anywhere if we just lay around like sitting ducks. We _have_ to get some solid answers, and I could've been close!"

"But that's not the point, Spencer," Aria said as she smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead. She then stopped, and pulled Spencer out of the hall into the nearest corner.

"Okay, you need to stop it with the arms," Spencer said irritably as she cradled her left forearm with her free hand.

"Look, we can't make moves like that," Aria whispered. "There are reporters _everywhere_, trying to get the scoop on the Chamber."

"How did you know about that?"

"Ezra told me the other day, they've been invading all of his classes to try to ask for his opinion since he knows so much about it," Aria answered. "They interviewed him, they're interviewing McGonagall, Longbottom, _and_ they tried interviewing me."

"_You?_"

"Yeah, on Mike," Aria said with an eyeroll.

"But how? Where? I haven't seen them anywhere!"

"Because they're in disguise, Spencer," Aria said, lowering her voice again as she tried looking over Spencer's shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. A couple of students were strolling down the corridor to try to get to their next class early, but that was about it.

"Disguise?"

"Yes," Aria hissed. "When they came up to me, they were wearing _Hufflepuff_ robes!"

"Why Hufflepuff?"

"I don't know," Aria said with a shrug. "I guess they chose a random house? Well that, and it _is_ the house of _finders_ - "

"Okay, focus," Spencer said, snapping Aria out of it. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Spencer," Aria began, and Spencer noticed her eyes starting to darken, fear encompassing them. "You _accused_ Mona of opening the Chamber of Secrets. _The Daily Prophet_ is so interested in this because the Chamber hasn't been opened in _years_, and this could be the revival of the dark magic we thought we had gotten _rid of_."

"And I just pinned that all on Mona," Spencer whispered, eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. It looked like her impulsivity and constant accusations had finally gotten the best of her. "Fantastic."

Aria grabbed Spencer's hand. "It'll be okay. Did you find anything else about... you know...?"

"Yeah, I did," Spencer said, cheering up slightly, before snapping her fingers in frustration. "Dammit! I forgot my books in the Great Hall."

"I'll come get them with you," Aria said with a shrug as she started to walk back out into the corridor with Spencer. "Do you remember anything?"

"Yeah, some of it," Spencer said as she brought her fingers up to her temples, trying to rack her brain for anything she had just discovered. "It was opened in the 1992-1993 school year at Hogwarts, so that's a little more specific than 'several years ago', I guess."

"Okay," Aria said while nodding her head. "What else?"

"It was opened by the heir of Slytherin," Spencer continued. "Remember? Enemies of the Heir, Beware."

At this, Aria gulped. "So whoever opened it, we better hope we're on their good side."

"Well, with these fangs we've been getting, it doesn't look like we are!" Spencer snapped.

"How do we even know that the person behind these fangs is the same person who opened the Chamber?" Aria pointed out. "After all, Mona _couldn't_ have been the one to open it; it has to be the heir of Slytherin, and she's a Ravenclaw."

"The Sorting Hat takes personal preference into account," Spencer muttered. "For all we know, Mona could be a true Slytherin at heart."

Spencer would know; she had personal experience with this. Years ago, Toby had shared a horrible, dark secret with her that made her hold a grudge against Jenna that was deeper than that of all the other girls, who had only been subject to constant taunting and teasing by Jenna throughout their time at Hogwarts.

But Spencer knew something much worse about Jenna. When she and Toby were first admitted into Hogwarts, they had only been stepsiblings for around a year. Toby couldn't stand Jenna; she was calculating and manipulative and scarily good at getting what she wanted. To make matters worse, she wanted something she couldn't have: Toby. When they were in their house together, around their parents, she would try to go after him when their parents weren't looking. She would drop hints, and he always felt uncomfortable, but whenever he tried telling his dad he had just shooed poor Toby away. But when they were away, at Hogwarts, Jenna had finally found a way to _truly_ get what she wanted.

She threatened Toby to tell the Sorting Hat to place him in Slytherin with her so that they could be together, or she would tell everyone at the school that, instead of being born with her glass eye like she was, she had actually lost her real eye when Toby had shot it out while practicing spells with his newly acquired wand at the time. And sadly, Toby had agreed, knowing no one would believe him if she told everyone that lie and he tried to deny it.

Every time he and Spencer were together after that, she felt horrible for always complaining about her own screwed up family; clearly his took the cake. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal; after all, everyone associates with everyone at Hogwarts, despite what house you belong in. But what house you're in is also associated with your identity, and it shapes who you are as a person. And Toby couldn't help but think that if it weren't for Jenna, if he hadn't grown up in the Slytherin house, and in the atmosphere that the Slytherin house presented, he would have been a much better person.

"Okay, but that still doesn't mean the two are connected," Aria said, breaking Spencer out of her thoughts. "We should try viewing the two as two separate things; viewing them as the same could end up hurting us."

"But they're the same, Aria!" Spencer said determinedly. "They _have_ to be!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because," Spencer said softly, lowering her voice as she entered the Hall, "the beast in the Chamber when it was opened in the '90s was a Basilisk, right?"

"Yeah..."

Spencer halted to a stop, grabbing Aria by the shoulder so that she would stop, too, as she reached into her pocket to pull out what Aria feared she was going to pull out.

"Oh, you are _not_ about to tell me - "

"I am," Spencer said shakily as she held the fang in her hand. "The Basilisk fang; it's a perfect match."

"That can't be it! The Basilisk was _killed_!"

"Look, I didn't say I had all the details," Spencer whispered, "but I know for a fact that we _are_ getting the actual fangs of a Basilisk hand-delivered to us. I'll show you! It was in one of the books."

She then grabbed Aria by the wrist as she dragged her over to the table she was just sitting at, ignoring the stares of students still trying to finish their lunch.

But when she got to the seat she was just sitting at, she was met with an unexpected surprise.

Spencer immediately ducked to the ground as she pulled out the chair. "Where are my books?"

"What?"

"My books," Spencer repeated as she looked up to Aria in worry. "They were here!"

"Maybe you were sitting at a different sea - "

"No, I was sitting right _here_, Aria!" Spencer exclaimed as she stood up from the ground.

"Why would someone _steal_ your books, though?" Aria asked.

Spencer just stared ahead, feeling all of the feeling in each one of her limbs disappear as the blood rushed out of them and straight to her head.

"Because there's something in them that someone doesn't want us to know."

* * *

**And Spencer blows it all up by being the raging lunatic she is while Mona stands there being perfect as always. I feel like this scene is a downplay of basically ALL of 3B, don't ya think? And now ****_The Daily Prophet_**** is involved. Which means one of MY favorite Harry Potter characters will enter the scene next chapter ;) and we've got some more useful info on the Chamber, which will ALL come into play later. And poor Toby :( Jenna, you're awesome and all, but you can be the biggest bitch. And who took Spencer's books?! Hmm**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello, beauties! The response from last chapter was magnificent, thank you all so much once again for your fantastic reviews. I know I'm a little late here, and I'm so sorry. School is whipping my butt already, and I haven't gotten a chance to update yet. But I'm here now with a new chapter for you all, so hopefully you enjoy it!**

**TotalCowGirl: Thanks!  
Silver-Infinite: As cool as that sounds, I will ****_not_**** have time at all to write that mash-up. School is starting up again, and it's hitting me hard! But you seem to have a good idea of what you want for that, so why don't you write it? ;) And yes, Jenna is a bitch, I agree. All of your questions will be answered, you just need to keep reading!  
Sarah: Like I said, your reviews are very distinct ;) and I don't care which of the liars are my favorite (dead tie between Aria and Spencer, though, incase you were wondering), Mona will always and forever be my favorite character on this show. And yes, SPARIA! If you don't love Sparia, there's something wrong with you, haha. And "the pixie". I laughed so hard at that. And true, Toby's life does really suck, doesn't it? IS he a psychopath? Keep reading to find out!  
fluorescent incandescence: THANK YOU! I was hoping someone would get that ;) AVPM is my life. I can recite for you the entire "Pigfarts" monologue from Draco.  
Titanium Wolf: Youuuu got it! ;) That pesky beetle is actually entering the scene this very chapter, so prepare yourself! And you caught onto that, very good. I simply ask you to wait for it!  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Aria seems to know what's best for Spencer. I mean, as the other half of Team Sparia, of COURSE she does! And hey now, it was never confirmed that those fangs were Basilisk fangs. Spencer just assumes they are, and 90% of the time Spencer is wrong. Just something to keep in mind ;) and you are correct, I am NOT going to tell you! Seems like you're all catching on, haha. But you'll thank me later. The last thing I want is to ruin the element of surprise!  
Sgdp1261: Ugh, so do I. They're brilliant, aren't they. And I see by your favoriting me/my story that you FINALLY got an account! That makes me so happy, we better talk, like, all the time because you're one of my favorite people ever. And haha, no one wants to be under Vanderjesus's wrath, this is correct. Oh Vanderjesus... still so mad that she had only one scene in the finale. GIVE MONA MORE SCREEN TIME SHE IS GOD FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! And as I told a reviewer above, you really don't know that it's a Basilisk. Spencer says it is, but 90% of the time she's _wrong_, so it really could be anything ;) thanks again for your amazing reviews!  
Goldenheart11: Haha, dammit Spencer is correct. That girl... and you will find out later what house Toby would have been put in ;)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Don't worry about it! You're reviewing now, aren't you? And RIGHT, why did they all just forgive him and never bring it up again? Makes me so mad. And I actually think Spencer is the mama bear of the group! She has that overprotective instinct, ya know? And not many boyfriends WOULD do that, but Caleb is legitimately the best boyfriend ever so... ya know. And I FELT LIKE SUCH A PROUD PARENT OKAY I WAS SO PROUD OF ARIA WHEN THAT HAPPENED! Get it gurl. Get it. And please. Sparia has always been my OTP. I mean, love all the canon couples and all, but Sparia is REAL! And wow, so happy this was your favorite! Maybe you'll like this next one even more ;)  
Ava B: Team Sparia is the best, aren't they? And you'll find out later what house Toby would've been in ;) and Jenna IS really messed up! But I mean she's _Jenna_, and she's a freakin' ROBOT, so you know... thanks for the review!  
Bagilia: RITA TIME! So true. She is incredibly fun to write for, I'm gonna be honest with you. And I won't kill you for shipping Spezra! They would make a good couple. And yes, you are CRAZY! Look at all of the reviews you have been sending me back to back, they reflect craziness. "Hang on while I load my shotgun." Yeah, not crazy at all... But I mean that in the best way possible of course, because I'm just as spaztastic ;D  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Yay, it worked! I like having all of the characters interact with each other, it's fun. And I like Tomily too! They'd make a cute couple. You know, if she wasn't gay... haha. And I KNOW! Whoever took those books is about to get a slingshot of rage from Spencer once she finds out about it. And no way! Jealous. I love Deathly Hallows! It's my favorite :D  
hufflepuffhaleb: Hi! SO happy you like this story, and Haleb is tied with Ezria for my OTP ;D if I had to choose between those two, it would definitely be Caleb staying in Rosewood. As much as I hate Ezria being a lie, it makes for a really good storyline. But Caleb leaving... I can't even comprehend. I'm gonna be so upset :( Thank you so much for reading and enjoying this story!**

**A lot of you are just awesome (well, I mean, you're actually ALL awesome) and were able to guess the entrance onto the scene of Hogwarts by one very special character that I love with all my Slytherin heart: Rita Skeeter. She is back and better than EVER! So hopefully you enjoy this chapter, where you're first introduced to her, and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon as well. Updates are much slower now since I've actually got stuff going on instead of hibernating in my room with my laptop, so I apologize! But I know you all will be patient, right? Try not to be ****_too_**** mad at me, and don't forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER to let me know if you like it!**

* * *

"So wait, explain this story to me again?"

Emily giggled lightly as she walked down the corridor with Hanna. Neither of them had any classes left for the day (the schedule was shortened for seventh years because of the Halloween ball), so they were both just leisurely walking down the halls, trying to calm each other's nerves with funny childhood stories. So far, it was working. "I was seven, okay? Don't judge!"

"I'm not judging! I just asked you to tell it again."

Emily sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered. "Okay, so my dad was practicing Quidditch with me in the back yard..."

"Yes..." Hanna said giddily, waiting patiently for the next part.

"Andddd he scored a goal, and I got mad."

"So..."

Emily huffed, defeated. "So I took the Quaffle in my hand and threw it square at his face."

Hanna clapped her hands excitedly as she jumped on Emily's shoulders. "You _rockstar_, Emily Fields!" she cheered, ignoring Emily's appalled looks as she continued to make a scene. "I _knew_ you could be a badass!"

"I am _not_!" Emily argued as she attempted to pry herself out of Hanna's arms. "I felt terrible afterward."

"But you went through with it," Hanna said simply as she came back down to the ground. "Hence: badass."

"Hanna, don't be ridic - "

"Excuse me, ladies!"

Emily and Hanna stopped dead in their tracks as a Hufflepuff, that frankly neither of the girls recognized, walked up to them. As she walked closer, Emily and Hanna collectively noticed the wrinkles around her eyes, and that her thinning white-blonde hair was actually a very light shade of silver.

The woman was well over 60.

"I'm Rita Skeeter," she said as she pulled an acid green quill out of her pocket and bit the tip of it with the skin of her teeth, holding it in her mouth as though she were chewing a cigarette. "Witch journalist and author behind biographies of famous leaders like Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter... I work for _The Daily Prophet_?"

"Nice to meet you," Emily said uneasily as she held out her hand, but Rita didn't reach out to shake it. Instead, she pulled out from behind her a crocodile-skin bag, of which she produced a pile of blank parchment paper.

"I'd like to ask you ladies some questions, if you don't mind," she said as she straightened the papers while clutching the bag to her side and holding the quill between her teeth.

"About?" Hanna asked skittishly.

"About a friend of yours," Rita said cryptically.

Both girls just kept staring at her blankly. "That doesn't tell us anything," Hanna responded again. "We're social people. We have lots of friends!"

"Ugh, fine," Rita said, rolling her eyes. "Spencer Hastings. Happy?"

Emily and Hanna both felt their bloodstreams run short, turning to ice in merely an instant. _Spencer?_

"Wh-what about Spencer?" Emily asked shakily.

"Well, it appears a little... _incident_ happened in the Great Hall earlier that had to do with her, and it caught our attention. Do you girls have a minute?"

"No."

"Yes."

The "no" came from Hanna. The "yes" came from Emily. _Both_ came at the same time. Rita smiled - it was _not_ a pretty smile - as she led the girls over to a bench on the side. Both Emily and Hanna stayed a little behind as they whispered frantically to each other.

"Why'd you say yes?"

"I was being _honest!_"

"This isn't Truth or Dare, Emily!" Hanna snapped. "I don't know what this woman wants, but I don't like it. There's no way I'm telling her anything."

"Who knows?" Emily began optimistically. "Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe Spencer got nominated for some award or something, and they want to ask us questions about her!"

Hanna nodded her head rapidly, trying to keep a consistent, positive mindset like Emily, but it was hard when the woman before them plopped her crocodile skin bag on the bench as she set herself up; she had crossed her legs, held the paper out in front of her, and licked the very tip of the feather on her quill. It was showtime.

Reluctantly, Hanna led Emily over to the bench, where they both sat down. "So, what did you want to ask us?"

"Well let's start with your little friend," Rita said, and both girls were able to pinpoint the patronization in her voice. "How long have you known Miss Hastings?"

"Since we were first years," Emily answered automatically.

"Yeah," Hanna confirmed. "She, us two, and our other friend Aria were in the same Defense Against the Dark Arts class together, and we just hit it off immediately."

"Interesting," Rita said thoughtfully as her quill scribbled down some notes on her parchment paper. Actually, the quill did that by itself; it didn't need assistance from Rita's hand, or any part of her body for that matter.

Rita noticed the girls staring, and immediately jumped at the chance to explain. "Oh, that's just my Quick Quotes Quill," she explained. "It writes for me so I don't get any hand cramps. Just ignore it!"

Emily and Hanna both looked at each other warily, but decided to continue. Rita leaned forward, her face resembling that of a teenager dying to hear the newest, juiciest gossip. "And how close are you with Spencer, and that other girl Aria?"

"We'd do anything for them," Emily said simply. "And they'd do anything for us."

Rita nodded her head as the quill scribbled on, an uncomfortably smug smile on her face.

"Wait," Hanna intervened. "What is this about?"

"Just trying to get the scoop on students at this school," Rita answered innocently.

"All this for _The Daily Prophet_?" Hanna said unsurely. Emily nudged Hanna, urging her not to be rude.

Rita just sat back against the bench, surveying Hanna carefully. "C'mon, dear," she said persuasively. "Don't you want to be quoted in an article? Don't you want your name to be seen by wizards everywhere?"

Hanna stopped, stunned. "That does sound pretty cool..."

"Alright!" Rita said, as though that settled everything. "Now, let's continue with the interview. What kind of _person_ would you reckon Spencer is?"

Rita continued to spew out questions like these, and the girls continued to spew out reluctant, albeit confused, answers. And the whole time, the acid green Quick Quotes Quill just danced along the page, hardly ever stopping to take a break. By the time the interview was over, Rita stood up from the bench as she gathered all of her things into her crocodile skin bag.

"Thank you, ladies," she chirped. "Have fun at the Halloween ball tonight!"

And with that, she sauntered down the hall as Emily and Hanna stared after her, their jaws grazing the floor.

What just happened?

* * *

**Side Note: Rita skeeter, you little shit, you. Aren't you just something? Of course she hits Hannily at all of their weak points and gathers some juicy info out of them. Wonder what she's gonna do with it!**


	28. Chapter 28

**I didn't even put to guess the reference in the last chapter, and some of you still got it. Nice work!**

**"You _rockstar _Emily Fields!" Hanna in 2x03. Congrats to Ava B and Bagilia!**

**WideOpenSpaces045: Yep, she is quite the bitch. But I still kinda love her, haha. She makes things interesting! I guess you can say we have a hate-love relationship. I love Hannily, too, they're almost as fun to write for as Sparia, haha. Thanks for the lovely review!  
Sarah: Emily is just too trusting! And oh man, if Rita Skeeter and Vanderjesus were related... the world would explode, but everything everywhere would make so much sense. Oh my god... can't wait for you to read this next chapter! I think you might like it ;)  
Guest: Oh, but they talked to her ;)  
Titanium Wolf: Love to hate basically describes Rita. I'm a big fan of her, though. She's just so GOSSIPY! My favorite had to be when she and Harry teamed up to take down Umbridge with that one article, and she got so giddy and excited. It was hilarious. And well, you just painted quite a picture there. Whether it's ACCURATE or not, you'll have to see!  
Ava B: It was pretty fun coming up with Emily's story, I have to admit. She's a true competitor deep down ;) and Hanna's morals are slightly dubious, but her heart is in the right place, which is what really matters :)  
Forever Courage: Wow, thank you so much! Glad to see you back here reading another one of my stories :) and well, here's the next chapter coming your way!  
Silver-Infinite: She really should, shouldn't she? Oh Rita.  
Goldenheart11: I think it's safe to say that the girls will never, EVER learn from their mistakes. EVER.  
Bagilia: Absolutely not, they're too entertaining! And oh, Rita is as Slytherin as they come. I LOVE IT! And haha, I do know how much you love your Haleb babies, that was made perfectly clear ;) thanks for the review!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Indeed, you are improving. And you're right, Hannily doesn't stand a chance against the wonder that IS Rita Skeeter. NO ONE STANDS A CHANCE! Wait until you see the article she writes later on. Ohhh man. Thank you once again for your fabulous reviews!  
TotalCowGirl: In a later chapter, you'll get to see the article she publishes, and it's pretty chalk full of shit, I'll say that. Thanks so much for the review!  
Sgdp1261: YAY! I feel special. Congrats again on your new account. And haha, that's so true! She basically is another Mona (except she hasn't reached the godlike levels that Mona has. Hell, NO ONE has!) and you'll see the article she publishes later! You're semi-accurate with that title, haha, but you'll see! I'm trying really hard to add in as many characters as possible, but it's really hard! Thank you once again for reading my story. You're fabulous XD**

**Alright, next chapter. I have a feeling I might get some hate for this chapter because a certain someone enters the scene (although I have a feeling ShadowsOnTheMoon is gonna jump through the computer screen to envelope me in a hug... that was a huge hint). But things are gonna get interesting starting here, so I have a feeling you'll like it! So please read, review, and all that jazz. Love you all!**

* * *

"Someone _actually_ stole my books!" Spencer huffed as she stormed down the corridor. Aria strided next to her as she calmed her down, but it was harder when Spencer was so piped up on nervous energy; it was also harder to keep up when Aria's legs were so much shorter.

"It looks like someone really doesn't want us knowing about the Chamber," Aria said.

At this, Spencer just let out a sound that was a mix between a scoff and a laugh. "Well, I'm _going_ to find out about the Chamber," she said casually. "I don't care if someone steals my books. That just means we need to do some more _active_ investigating."

Aria stopped in her tracks. "I don't like the sound of that."

Spencer groaned as she spun around to face Aria. "Yes you do," she said half-convincingly. "Look, remember when I said earlier in the month that we should sneak into the Infirmary?"

"And remember when I said that was a terrible idea?" Aria fought back.

"C'mon!" Spencer whined. "I don't have anymore classes for the day, and I know you don't either! And there's 7 hours until the dance - "

"So this is your way of passing _boredom_?" Aria said incredulously.

"NO! Well... ugh, you know what I mean," Spencer said frustratedly. "C'mon, please come with me. Just tell Pomfrey you're coming to see your brother and that I came for support!"

"It feels _wrong_."

"Please?" Spencer pleaded one last time. "We're team _Sparia_!"

A few seconds passed, and Aria found herself biting her lip until it bled. Spencer _knew_ that Aria couldn't resist their nickname that they made for each other when they were younger; they were partners in crime, after all! Finally, Aria looked up to find Spencer staring at her intensely, eyes so big that Aria was surprised they didn't just fall right out of her head. Aria took a giant step back. "You're not going to stop staring at me like a lost puppy until I say yes, are you?" she finally said.

"Nope!" Spencer said shortly, shaking her head while her widened eyes remained fixated on Aria.

Aria sighed. "Fine. Let's go break into an Infirmary in the middle of the day like _rational_ people," she added with mocking cheerfulness.

"That's my girl!" Spencer cheered as she grabbed Aria by the arm and dragged her over to the Hospital Wing.

* * *

Aria and Spencer walked down the corridor all the way to the Infirmary hall. It seemed darker, more ominous than the last time Aria had been in it.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Aria whispered to Spencer as they stood outside the doorway.

Spencer leaned toward Aria as she whispered instructions. "We go in, pretend that we're visiting your brother, but we _actually_ search him for a fang."

"And if he doesn't have one?"

"Then we search Malfoy," Spencer confirmed. Aria's eyes widened.

"If you really think I'm gonna poke my hands around that sleazy bastard - "

"Relax." Spencer rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna be right there beside you."

Aria started to say that that didn't quite assure her, but Spencer cut her off. "Ready?"

Aria allowed herself one final breath before nodding her head. "Let's do this."

They entered the Infirmary, surveying the place. There were students lying on beds, while bottles meant to hold medicine were scattered everywhere. Clearly Madam Pomfrey was on her toes trying to take care of everyone, which explained her disorganization. Yet it was also odd because at the moment she was nowhere in sight.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Aria called, as she and Spencer gave the room a once over, checking to see if Madam Pomfrey was in sight and they had just missed her.

"She's not in," a male voice said, and Spencer and Aria whipped around to the sound. A young man, no more than 26, entered the room, his surprisingly cute bushy brunette eyebrows raised in inquiry. He was dressed in scrubs, and he had his gloved hands in the pockets of them. "Is there anything you need?"

Spencer and Aria just looked at each other strangely. Spencer gave Aria a look that said, _Was this guy always here?_ and Aria returned a look that said, _Don't look at me, I've never seen him before!_

"Um," Aria began tentatively as she turned back to the man, "I just came to visit my little brother. Mike?"

"Ah, yes," the man said as he looked down at the clipboard in his hands. "Mike Montgomery. I take it you're Aria?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "And this is my friend, Spencer."

"Nice to meet you," he said as he shook both of their hands, flashing a charming smile. "I'm Nurse Kingston, but you can call me Wren. I'm here to help out a bit; assist Madam Pomfrey in whatever way I can."

"It's really so bad that she needs help?" Spencer asked as he led the girls to where Mike was lying.

"Oh yes," Wren said. "She keeps saying it hasn't been this bad since the _last _time the Chamber was opened."

Spencer felt her stomach lurch at this. Everytime someone mentioned the Chamber being opened, she felt uneasy. It also made her even _more_ determined than before to figure out who was behind it all, but the chances of actually getting an answer to that question were looking less and less likely by the minute.

"If it's so bad, why don't they just close the school?" Aria asked. "Clearly it isn't safe."

"_You_ know that, and _I_ know that," Wren said cleverly as he stopped at Mike's bed. "But no one on staff is going to be willing to admit that Hogwarts might not be safe again."

Despite the unsettling words, Spencer found herself smiling. She _liked_ this new nurse; he had basically just voiced everything that had been going through her head. He, unlike a lot of the people at this school, was someone _her_ style.

"Alright, here he is," Wren said, holding his hands out as he gestured toward Mike, in a repose before their very eyes. He then propped a hand on Aria's shoulder. "I know this must be hard for you, so I just want to say that I'm sorry."

Aria gave a weak smile and a "Thank you", but Spencer knew that she was tired of all the sympathy; she was tired of everyone looking at her like she was made of glass, and feeling like they had to walk on eggshells around her. Spencer tried to catch herself when she acted like that, too, but she couldn't help it! Aria was like a sister to Spencer - an _actual_ sister that she didn't have to compete with, and could actually confront and talk to like a normal person - and Spencer would do anything to keep her safe and happy. Spencer also saw Aria as a baby bunny in a way, and _no one_ liked seeing baby bunnies get hurt.

With that, Wren saluted and walked out of the room. Spencer found herself staring after him, entranced.

"Earth to Spencer," Aria said, waving her hand in front of Spencer's face.

Spencer blinked rapidly, realizing she'd been staring after Wren for several seconds. "What?"

"C'mon, you're the one who dragged me into this!" Aria whispered. "Let's just search for the fangs, and then we can get the hell out of here."

"Um, actually..." Spencer began, looking down the wing to where Wren had just left. "You look."

"What?" Aria's eyes had fully reached the size of Bludgers. "Spencer, I can't do this alone!"

"Someone has to distract him!" Spencer said hastily. "It might as well be me! You're the one who's supposed to be visiting Mike!"

"Spencer, I really don't feel good about searching my own _brother_ and Malfoy's _pockets_," Aria said bluntly. "_You're_ supposed to be the one without boundaries!"

"Please, Aria!" Spencer whined. "I need to watch him; Madam Pomfrey didn't care what anyone was doing, but we don't know what his method of watching over patients is! The last thing we want is for him to walk in on us snooping!"

Finally, Aria sighed. "Fine," she complied. "Consider me on it."

With a wide grin, and a quick hug, Spencer made her way over to Wren, who was in the other room, sorting his way through pill bottles. She couldn't help noticing how cute he looked; he had a perplexed expression on his face as he shifted his way through bottle after bottle, prescription after prescription. But then she realized where her brain was, and it scared her.

_What are you doing?_ she asked herself internally. _Are you forgetting Toby? Your insanely cute, caring boyfriend who loves you more than you sometimes love yourself? Snap out of it!_

Deciding that she was just confused, that all of this drama with the Chamber and with 'A' was messing with her head, Spencer moved forward. "Hi!"

Wren looked up, and then jumped up in the air, startled at Spencer's presence. "Um, we're not allowed to have students back here."

"Oh, sorry," Spencer said, blushing slightly. _Well, that's embarrassing._ "I just wanted to give Aria some privacy."

"Right, I understand," Wren said, nodding his head as he looked down, sorting through papers on the counter in front of him. "Well, I guess it's alright! This room isn't quarantined or anything, after all."

Spencer giggled slightly, admiring his strong British accent. It was weird; she never saw the big deal about British accents. On someone like Scorpius Malfoy, it just sounded obnoxious and squeaky; not manly at all. But on Wren, it was surprisingly adorable... and even a little sexy.

Pushing her inappropriate thoughts aside, Spencer continued trying to make small talk. "So, um, how long have you been a nurse?"

"Well, I just passed my NCLEX exam about a year ago," Wren explained. "Now I'm just in medical training. It's going to take a long while before I can become an actual magical doctor."

"Well, I wish you luck," Spencer said approvingly.

"Thank you!" he said brightly. "Are you interested in medical work?"

"Erm..." Spencer chewed on her lip. Was she? Her parents had put so many career options in her head and had spent so much time talking about her future and molding her into what they wanted her to be, that she didn't even know what she _herself_ wanted anymore.

"I'm just exploring options," she said with a shrug. "Not entirely sure what I want."

Wren looked her up and down, observing her; her straight, brown hair, down to her shoulders with the sides pinned back; her perfectly pleated robes, proudly displaying her Slytherin tie and Prefect badge; and her eyes. He could immediately sense from her eyes that she was filled with intelligence and determination. But he could also see a flick of intensity in them, and not the good kind of intensity. It was the kind of intensity that wore you out, that made you tired.

"You're one of those girls, right?" he asked innocently. "Constantly pressured by parents?"

Spencer was stunned. "How did you - "

"I saw it all the time while I was in school," Wren said with a shrug. "Especially when training to become a magical nurse; you're surrounded by all these people who are all so stressed. It's like... this is what they _need_. Like they have something they need to _prove_. You can just tell by their eyes... and you've got them."

"That's me," she said with a sigh as she leaned up against the wall next to her.

Wren bowed his head. "Look, I didn't exactly grow up in a family like yours, so I don't quite _know_ that kind of pressure; I just know from observing... but I can imagine it can be unbearable at times."

Spencer just gave him a quizzical look. "Well, you can't exactly be a _slouch_," she pointed out. "I mean, look at you! An assistant nurse at Hogwarts? Saving _lives_ for a living? All that drive had to come from somewhere!"

"It came from me," Wren said with a shrug. "My life has been my choice."

"Well, you're lucky," Spencer admitted. How great it would be to have a _choice_. She looked up to see that he was smiling at her, almost like he found her entertaining. Amusing.

Deciding to move past it, Spencer moved on. "So... do you know what's going on with the Chamber?"

"A little," Wren said minimally. "I hear people talk around a bit about it. Also Pomfrey mumbles to herself a lot."

Spencer laughed slightly at this. "It just seems so out of nowhere," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, things have been so great at Hogwarts up until now."

"Yeah, it was great when I was in school, too," Wren said agreeably.

Spencer chewed on the inside of her cheek, deep in thought. "What else have you heard? About the Chamber?"

Wren was taken off guard slightly by this. "About as much as everyone else has heard. Why?"

"Just curious," she answered. "I want answers just as much as everyone else."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm the wrong source for information," he said apologetically. "But I know a mate of mine who works here who might have some answers."

Spencer jerked her head up. "You do? Who?"

Again, Wren was taken off guard; he wasn't used to this insane level of intensity coming out of such a lithe girl. She was determined, yes, but she also almost seemed... scared? "Neville Longbottom."

"Professor Longbottom?" Spencer said, surprised. Professor Longbottom had a pretty good reputation for standing up to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the Battle of Hogwarts like a true Gryffindor, and he was beloved by all of the students for his quirkiness. It also helped that he lived above the Leaky Cauldron with his wife, the landlady at the pub, and his students liked to visit him there during Hogsmeade visits. He was a cool guy, sure, but Spencer never thought she would ever seek him for _information_.

"Yes," Wren continued. "He was there the last time the Chamber was opened."

"How do you know?"

"He stops by every now and then," Wren said as he went back to sorting through the pill bottles on the counter. "He likes to check on the students; he's a good mate. He's obviously worried about them."

Spencer thought about this, and then blurted out something that she never thought she'd ask. "Did he say anything about getting fangs when the Chamber opened the last time?"

Now Wren just looked confused. "No, he's never mentioned that," he said slowly. "In fact, I don't think anyone's mentioned that."

"Spencer?" Aria called from the other room. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, coming!" Spencer called back, before turning to Wren. "Well, I should get going."

"It was lovely talking to you!" Wren replied, but his voice didn't have the same cheerfulness that it did when they first started talking. It now had some terseness, some apprehension.

Something Spencer had said had made him nervous, but Spencer couldn't figure out what.

* * *

**Side Note: Team. Fucking. Sparia. I was so excited when I wrote this chapter, it made me all kinds of happy. And Wren is now in the story, here to shake things up. How nice! References, anyone? Theories? Review! Also, the next few chapters are gonna soley focus on the Halloween ball, where a lot of stuff goes down. It's a little slow at first, but things pick up I promise!**


	29. Chapter 29

**I'm a day late, I know, and I'm SORRY! School is just so blech. But on the bright side, I'm at 300 reviews because you're all so fantastic! Seriously, though, how did I get so lucky to get the best, most consistent reviewers ever? Now, some of you got the references, so I'm here to reveal those answers. I hope it's alright if I stop giving shoutouts to those who got them right, just because it takes SO much time. But you know who you are ;)**

**"We're team Sparia!" 2x25. That is all.  
"You're not going to stop staring at me like a lost puppy until I say yes, are you?" 3x09 Cece to Spencer.  
The entire "You're no slouch" convo between Wren and Spencer was from 1x02 before they kissed (has anyone heard from ShadowsOnTheMoon? Is she ****_breathing?_****)**

**Now to respond to your reviews:**

**Ayoungnovelist: Yep! You got it!  
Forever Courage: That could be possible! You're right to be suspicious of Scorpius, I'll say that ;)  
Sarah: Team Sparia is perfect. And haha, I never thought of that! I love those candy striper outfits, though. They were hilarious. And Spencer's at the point where her mind is just all over the place and she's not thinking straight. Like, "This mentally insane guy just said DiLaurentis. Let me chase him around the asylum until he answers my question appropriately". That level of not thinking straight. Also, congratulations, I think you got all of the references! :D And indeed, Neville just got a lot more interesting, haha. He'll actually have a chapter coming up with one of the PLL characters! Not gonna say who, though ;) Thank you so much for your review, it made my day!  
TotalCowGirl: You will see more of Neville in an upcoming chapter!  
Silver-Infinite: The PLL character came from the English colonies where they don't have British accents. Hopefully you understand better now ;)  
Renesmee27: Yep, you got it! Thanks for the review :)  
Ava B: Well, you got 2 out of 3, which is still pretty good! :) and typical Spencer. When she's in the zone, you can forget about reasoning with her. Aria is gonna have to suck it up for now :P  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Hahaha, Ezria IS that annoying kid! That's hilarious, good metaphor! And you know Spencer, she doesn't always have her priorities straight. I love when any of the liars bicker! That's why 4x02 was my favorite episode this season. And indeed, Wren is here to shake things up at Hogwarts (and possibly for Spoby, so I guess I better prepare for the Spoby shipper death threats now :/). And no way, I like Ezra as board shorts. It makes him relevant, and I'm just gonna keep shipping Ezria either way, so you know ;) and wow, your favorite chapter? Well I'm blushing now, so thanks for that!  
Spobyistruelove: Two days? That takes dedication. Thank you! It's been a blast to write, so I love how people are enjoying reading it! And I update pretty frequently (at least I try to. School is starting, so it's a bit harder), so you won't need to worry about that! And there will be PLENTY of Spoby to come, so buckle your seatbelt!  
UngluckLiebhaber: I love Dobby, too! I do a pretty solid impression of him, too, so he's close to my heart automatically. And your daughter is automatically awesome for doing that. And Scorpius and Mike were the only two to be petrified! You didn't miss anything. That doesn't mean others aren't in the infirmary for being sick and little things like that. Besides, taking care of two people at the same time is hard work. Pomfrey has got her hands tied.  
WideOpenSpacesGirl045: Heh heh... sorry :/ I will tell you right now, though, that Spoby is endgame. Does that make you feel a little better? And glad Sparia made up for that (they always do ;)) Thanks for the review, and hopefully you'll like this next chapter just as much!  
Goldenheart11: Jeez, the wrath I'm getting from you Spoby fans is scary, but also entertaining ;) and aww, I feel special! Spoby is endgame, though, I will say that now. No need to worry!  
Titanium Wolf: That I did! I thought it was some nice juxtaposition, haha.  
Sgdp1261: You know me, I cannot RESIST the Sparia! And congrats, you got all the references! Nice work :D and thank you for not threatening me for putting Wren in like all of the Spoby fans (although I love the Spoby fans still!). And I thought the HALEB shippers were bad... I'm putting my life into my own hands with this story 0.o and I had to put that baby bunny line in, I couldn't resist! It's just so... SPARIA! And HAHA "Christmas time for the A team". Can you just imagine all these people in black hoodies, like, GIDDY over torturing the liars, opening presents, having a BALL? Like, Mona, skipping around a Christmas tree decorated with the liars' faces... oh man. Thank you for putting that picture in my head. THANK YOU!  
Bagilia: Well, I was GOING to congratulate you on being my 300th reviewer, but since you're not talking to me I guess I can't really do that now, can I? ;) See what you've driven ME to? It works both ways, honey bunches.  
audryadn: Thank you so much! I love Hannily, so you'll see more of them, of course ;)**

**And now... the moment you've all been waiting for... THE HALLOWEEN BALL! Enjoy this chapter, you bunch of lovelies, and don't forget to review at the end!**

* * *

Later that night, it was finally time for the Halloween ball. Students were dressed eloquently, dressed grotesquely, dressed in all kinds of attire. The Great Hall looked much like it did earlier, although now the lights were dimmed to nearly total darkness, with the exception of the moonlight outside shimmering off of the chandeliers and lighting up the rest of the room. Students slowly started to fill the room, complimenting each other on their costumes while filling their goblets with punch (although Noel Kahn had managed to sneak in butterbeer, and was selling it to anyone who asked). The evening was just getting started, but everyone was already having a good time.

Emily pulled the hood of her thin, black silk cloak further over her head with one hand while she held Paige's hand tightly with the other. Paige turned to smile at her, her perfectly white teeth almost the same color as her newly pale skin, of which it took nearly 5 coats of bleach-white eyeshadow, nearly using up all of it, to get to that shade. Emily smiled back before turning to look around the rest of the room, but she still felt Paige staring at her, so she commented on it. "What?"

"You're just so damn beautiful," Paige said earnestly.

Emily just smiled. "Well, look who I'm talking to," she said coyly. "I've never seen anyone make dressing like a dementor look so sexy."

"Neither have I," Paige responded. "Until tonight."

"So, you mean when you looked in the mirror," Emily joked bluntly, only to earn a playful shove and a laugh from Paige. All of their tension from earlier was gone, and they had this one night to enjoy themselves. To be together.

Or, so Emily thought.

Across the room, Emily could clearly spot Maya, downing what she could assume was butterbeer, dressed as a pixie with very revealing taste.

Emily bit her tongue and squeezed Paige's hand a little tighter. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"They sure look happy," Aria commented as she set her goblet of punch down, glancing across the room at Paige and Emily's grand entrance. Hanna followed Aria's gaze, and she caught sight of Paige laughing while she playfully slapped Emily, and Emily just grinning along in genuine happiness.

"Yeah, they do," Hanna agreed. Emily had been complaining for a while to the girls that Paige was distancing herself from her, and she was worried. But things seemed fine between them right now, so Hanna and Aria hoped that meant that they had worked things out.

Hanna straightened the wrinkles on her house elf costume, and Aria, who was dressed as a black cat, pulled her tail up front so she could smooth out the mohair. They both looked fantastic, but they wanted to look _especially_ fantastic for when they got to see their boyfriends later on. Aria finally put her tail back into place before looking up at Hanna. "I assume you've dressed to impress for when your man enters the hall?"

"Of course," Hanna said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "And you?"

"Maybe just a little," Aria said with a smile as she looked over at the other side of the room, where she spotted Ezra at the punch bowl, with a fake wig of curly brown hair, a quill tucked behind his ear, an awkwardly pretentious blue cloak draped around him, and a book in his hand.

Aria rolled her eyes. _Gilderoy Lockhart. _Of course.

"Who is he?" Hanna asked, confused.

Aria laughed. "Some author we both love making fun of."

"Well I'll gladly give you something else to make fun of: _what_ is on Toby's head?"

Aria turned to see what Hanna was pointing at, and laid eyes on Toby and Spencer, dressed in different robes from their own, and different _hair_ for that matter. Spencer had teased her hair so that it protruded outward, puffy and frizzy as anything, and Toby wore what looked like a bright red mop on his head, along with penciled-on freckles on his cheeks.

"Exactly what are you supposed to be?" Hanna asked as the couple walked up to them.

Spencer smiled. "I'm Hermione Granger, and he's Ron Weasley," she said happily.

"I'm sure Rose and Hugo Weasley will be more than pleased that you're their _parents_ for Halloween," Aria joked, only for Spencer to stick her tongue straight out at Aria.

"I'm gonna get some punch," Toby said as he placed his hands on Spencer's shoulders from behind. "Do you want anything?"

"I'm good, baby," she said as she craned her head back to give him a kiss. "Thank you though."

Toby kissed back before pulling away, giving a little wave to Hanna and Aria, and then walking over to to the punch station, the chunks of red protruding from his wig flopping up and down as he walked.

"Well, that is quite a wig," Hanna said in an amused tone as she leaned back against the pillar behind her.

But Spencer didn't find any of it funny. "Please don't make fun," she begged. "It was last minute."

"Don't you guys usually plan things out way ahead of time?" Aria asked innocently.

"Yeah, when we're both mentally stable," Spencer retorted. "I've been paying, like, no attention to him lately because I've been so busy pulling my hair out over these fangs and the fucking Chamber... and I think he's noticing, too."

"Aria said you guys snuck into the Hospital Wing earlier," Hanna said quietly. "Did you close in on anything?"

"No," Spencer muttered bitterly.

"Yeah, I didn't find any fangs in _anyone's _pockets," Aria said.

"And it turns out she didn't even need to search," Spencer added on. "Wren already told me that he's never heard anything about anyone getting fangs."

"Who's Wren?" Hanna asked. Spencer looked up, searching through the crowd, until she found a tall boy with brown hair in what looked to be a pirate's costume, chomping on a cupcake with orange frosting.

Spencer pointed right to him. "Over there. He's Pomfrey's new assistant nurse."

"Yeah, and Spencer left me to scavenge for fangs for _nothing_ while she cuddled up to him," Aria muttered bitterly as she took a sip from her goblet.

"I wasn't cuddling up to him!" Spencer said defensively. "Please don't say I was cuddling up to him." She then glanced nervously over to the punch table, and sure enough Toby was still there, pouring a perfectly filled goblet of punch like the perfect boyfriend he was.

"Okay, you're even more high strung than usual, and that's saying something," Hanna said distastefully. "I'm gonna snag you some butterbeer."

"I don't want - "

"No exceptions," Hanna interjected as she walked away. As soon as she walked away, Emily walked up, sans Paige.

"Well don't you look scary," Spencer teased. Emily _did_ look scary, but she was Emily; she couldn't scare someone away if she tried. It was impossible!

Emily just rolled her eyes. "Not scary enough."

"What's wrong?" Aria asked, catching onto Emily's snark.

"Maya's here," Emily whispered nervously.

"Well that shouldn't be a problem," Spencer said with a shrug. "Didn't you say she didn't want anything to do with you?"

"The thing is... I think she _does_ want something to do with me," Emily said unsurely.

"But you don't," Aria said, finishing Emily's thoughts for her.

"No! I do, but..." Emily smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead and groaned. "Just not in the way she wants me to."

Aria and Spencer just stared at Emily in confusion. Emily huffed again in frustration. "I want to be friends, but she wants something more. But I have Paige!"

"So tell her that," Aria reasoned.

"I tried," Emily said softly. This entire ordeal was wearing her out even more than the fangs. "I think she sees something, though..."

"What could she possibly see?" Spencer asked.

Emily bowed her head and sighed. "That I might still have feelings for her."

"Emily, no you don't," Aria said comfortingly. "You probably just think you do because you were with Maya first."

"And Paige is awesome," Spencer added as she rubbed Emily's arm.

Emily just sighed. "You guys are right. But Maya just keeps popping up everywhere, and - "

"We'll make sure she stays away from you," Spencer offered. "You deserve to have a fun night with Paige, alright? You can't let Maya ruin that."

"I'll try," Emily said helplessly as she stared over at Maya, then over at Paige, then back over at Maya.

She would try, but something told her she wouldn't succeed.

* * *

**Side Note: Ezra as Gilderoy Lockheart. I mean, would he really be anything else? I doubt it. And spencer as Hermoine was an opportunity I simply could not pass up. This was a bit of a filler chapter, but the next one is one of my favorites :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Man, y'all BLEW UP over Ezra as Lockhart and Spencer as Hermione. It was glorious! And I'm late once again, I know. I might have to keep alternating days like this, you guys, I'm really sorry :/ but I'm really happy with this chapter (it's one of my favorites), so hopefully that makes up for it?**

**Titanium Wolf: Indeed, Smackdown time is correct. And I'm glad you liked the costume choices! They seemed fitting :)  
foreverawhileandbeautifulmess: Wow, well I LOVE this new pen name just as much as the old one. And I agree, Emily just cannot catch a break. Thanks again for your fabulous reviews!  
TotalCowGirl: Thank you so much!  
Spobyistruelove: I don't think I put any references that chapter, but there are most definitely references this chapter! Be on the look out ;)  
Ava B: Spencer is SO Hermione, haha. And ShadowsOnTheMoon is the biggest Wrencer fan I've ever come across, so I can't wait for her to read that chapter! And man, if this story could reach 600 reviews, I'd be the happiest person alive. I'm counting on all of you to get me there, though!  
Forever Courage: Glad I did a good job painting a picture for you! Thanks again, your reviews are lovely :)  
Sarah: Aww, well now I wanna be able to see the drawing of Ezra as Lockhart! You can't just leave me hanging like that, haha. And indeed, OTPS DRESSED AS OTPS! OTP INCEPTION! And yes, this chapter will be a continuation of the Halloween ball, and most of it is Emily-centric, so I think you especially will enjoy it :) wow, a PLL/Hunger Games crossover? I'm sure it's amazing. You have been so amazing to me and encouraging to me throughout this story, so I only wish for the best for you as well :D PLEASSEE don't hold your breath, though, I don't want to be responsible for your death!  
Sgdp1261: Yep, looks like Emily is fighting off the OTHER pixie in Hogwarts (the first one being Aria, haha. "Maybe for you, you're a PIXIE! I've gotten really good at this...") And it's a pretty fantastic picture, I must say, and now I just want that to happen! These are good ideas for the producers in a Christmas special for season 5, lol.  
Bagilia: Caleb's entrance will make you SWOOON it will be so fantastic. And I can promise you right now that Wrenna will not be a thing in my story. Happy? ;) And I'm LOADED with good pet names like that. I'll unload them all in my next PM to you! And I was kidding! I'm an Ezria shipper, we're supposedly all banded together in an army of teenage fangirls who are bloodthirsty for anyone who tries to break those two up. All the shippers are bad in their own fabulous way, lol. EQUAL TO VANDERJESUS?! Literally, I can't think of a greater compliment. THANK YOU!  
hufflepuffhaleb: No worries, you will get your dose of Haleb this chapter! Thank you for the Hufflepuff hugs. All the Slytherin hugs go out to you! They might not seem as comforting, but they are surprisingly warm and welcoming :)  
Goldenheart11: Spoby has zero boundaries, hahaha. I'm sure Ron and Hugo are used to this, though. Their parents are on Chocolate Frog cards, after all! THEY'RE FAMOUS! And haha, no worries, totally understandable. There are plenty of people who ship Dramione! I'm pretty tolerant, but I LOVE Hermione and Ron together :) And I don't love torturing Toby! I just have to sometimes for the sake of the story!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: I'm pretty neutral on Emily's love life as well. Either is fine for me! And I'm glad you liked the costumes! Aria basically is a cat, and a damn AWESOME cat at that! And that's the point: you should NEVER get the image of Ezra as Lockhart out of your head ever. It's worthy of staying there for all of eternity XD**

**Now for the chapter. Enjoy, and REVIEW! And PS: I do not own John Mayer or any of his songs. Just a little fun fact.**

* * *

"Alright, Noel, hit me up," Hanna ordered as she sauntered up to Noel, who was dressed to the nines in an authentic werewolf costume. Noel disconnected his lips from Jenna's, who was dressed in a matching werewolf costume, to stare down Hanna.

"I'm a little busy, Marin?" he said, giving her the fisheye as he started to turn back to Jenna, but Hanna slapped him away.

"You should have expected demanding customers when you put up your little butterbeer business," Hanna snapped. "So hit me up."

"Gonna cost you," Noel said slimily.

"Do I look like I have money on me? I'm a _house elf_."

"No dough, no beer," Noel said simply as he turned back to Jenna, but he was slapped away again; this time by a different pair of hands.

Caleb dropped a few sickles in Noel's hand before enclosing his fingers around them. "Get the lady some beer, Kahn."

Noel pondered his options as he stared at Jenna, then at Hanna and Caleb, then back to Jenna, before huffing in annoyance and going to get the beer. Jenna stared after him for several seconds before finally stomping in his direction. Hanna turned to Caleb with a smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around him.

"My hero," she joked.

Caleb just shrugged. "How could I deprive my lady of some butterbeer?"

"Well, it's not really for me..." Hanna said sheepishly. "I was getting that for Spencer."

Caleb froze, before wrinkling his forehead thoughtfully. "Well then that bitch owes me 5 sickles," he muttered.

Hanna laughed before smacking him playfully on the shoulder. "Where'd you even get the money?"

"Umm, I take offense?" Caleb said in mock appall. "Just because my family treats me like an orphan does NOT mean that - "

"Caleb," Hanna interjected, in a tone that told him to give it up.

He just sighed. "Fine. I fixed up someone's wand in record time, so they paid me double."

Hanna smiled victoriously as she reached up to ruffle Caleb's hair. Caleb then whispered in her ear that he was just going to get her beer from Noel, and then parted ways from her. She couldn't help but notice that he kept stealing glances back at her as he continued walking. He was worried about her even more now that he knew some of the details of someone out to get her, but she didn't need that. She needed him to stay out of it; the last thing she needed was someone getting hurt for her.

Hanna just shook her head as she started to walk away, as though this was the appropriate way to shake all of the bad thoughts from her head. But as she turned in the other direction, she accidentally ran into someone. When she looked up to apologize, she let out a scream.

"Lucas," Hanna gasped. "Why do you look so... scary?"

Lucas's eyes dilated in confusion as he took his fake rotted teeth out of his mouth. "It's Halloween," he deadpanned. He was dressed as a zombie, with all black clothing, pale face makeup, and the occasional cuts and bruises scattered out along the parts of his skin that showed through his costume.

Hanna just blinked, disoriented. "Right," was all she could think to say.

Lucas stared at her, the smallest hint of disapproval in his beady black eyes. "Why are you with Caleb?"

"Umm... because he's my boyfriend?" Hanna said, a little irritated at Lucas's comment.

"Last time I checked, you two were _fighting_," Lucas pointed out. "What happened to that?"

"We made up," Hanna said as she crossed her arms uncomfortably. "We never broke up, Lucas."

"Well you should have!" Lucas snapped. Hanna took a full step back, now angry.

"How could you say that?" she snapped back. "I _love_ him!"

Lucas just snorted as he tried to suppress, yet _didn't_ try to suppress, a hard laugh. Hanna narrowed her eyes at him. "What's so funny?"

He just pretended to wipe an amused tear from his eye as Hanna resisted the urge to smack him. "You're lying to yourself."

"_Lying_?" Hanna echoed.

"If you love him as much as you say you do," Lucas said venomously, "you wouldn't be macking off with _me_ in the common room!"

"Lucas," Hanna spat, "that was _one small kiss_ and it came from _you_, not me!"

"I bet you haven't even _told_ him about it!" Lucas accused.

"You're right, I haven't!" she said bluntly. "Know why? Because it didn't _mean_ anything."

"Hanna, after that kiss, I thought we were gonna be together - "

"Well, we're not!" Hanna was shouting now, and was thankful that she couldn't be heard over the hum of conversation all around the room and the music playing over everyone (the Muggle Studies professor had arranged for them to play muggle tunes at the dance).

Hanna took a daring step toward Lucas. "Drop it," she said in a voice around an octave below her own. "It didn't mean anything. I like you as a _friend_, and I am with Caleb. The kiss meant _nothing_. Got it?"

She didn't even wait for his response. She just turned around and started walking away before he could even begin opening his mouth. But Lucas grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you," she said as she snaked her arm out of Lucas's grasp and walked back to her friends, not even glancing behind her to see Lucas's face transform to one of snark and anger... to one of pure sadness.

* * *

Emily leaned against the wall, chugging the punch in her goblet and wishing more than ever that it was actually butterbeer. She was trying to avoid Maya, but also, as much as she hated it, trying to avoid Paige. If Paige caught on to how flustered Emily was, she would know something was up.

Emily just groaned as she slid down the wall and put her head up against her knees. Why did her love life always have to be so complicated?

"Emily?" a small voice in the background said. Emily looked up to see Aria hovering over her.

"Oh, hey," Emily muttered.

"Everything okay?" Aria asked worriedly as she sat down next to Emily, who just sighed in response.

"This was supposed to be a really fun night for me and Paige!" Emily said frustratedly. "Now suddenly Maya is here and is ruining everything! What could she _possibly_ want from me?"

"Emily, Maya clearly just really likes you," Aria said comfortingly as she gave Emily's knee a calming rub. "She's upset because you're taken."

"Well, she needs to get over it," Emily muttered bitterly.

Suddenly, a slow instrumental played over the Great Hall, and John Mayer's vocals were heard as he started the opening verse to _Daughters_. Aria looked across the hall to see a less-than-stable Maya swaying to the music, her pixie costume slipping in all the wrong places, as she tried not to fall on her face. Emily didn't deserve Maya pining over her, and she didn't deserve the confusion and conflict that came with her being back. Maya had always been really nice every time she talked to the girls, but they all had a problem with her drug addiction. Back when Emily and Maya were dating, she would always leave Emily to snag some Felix Felicis, or smoke a joint; something of that nature. Emily had pretended she didn't mind because she clearly loved Maya so much, but Aria and the others could see that she _did_ mind deep down. When she was with Paige, however, she didn't have that problem; Paige was always loving and sweet, and didn't leave Emily hanging. She loved Emily just as much as Emily loved her, which was something that wasn't necessarily there with Maya.

"Em," Aria finally said. "If I were you, I'd put Maya in her place."

"How?" Emily asked.

Aria pointed over to the dance floor, where Paige stood out among everyone as she looked to and fro, searching for the tall, tan brunette of her affections. "A slow song is playing, and the girl of your dreams wants to share it with you. So go dance with her while Maya is watching."

"Won't that just make things worse?"

"You won't know until you find out!" Aria said bravely.

"I don't know - "

"You'd be showing her that you're not going to let her get in the way of you having a good time," Aria reasoned. "Besides... you should take advantage of the fact that you can actually _share_ a dance."

Emily processed these words as she looked over to Ezra, who was standing off to the side as he watched everyone else dance in time to the music, clearly wishing more than ever that he could have the one he loved in his arms as the song played on. Meanwhile, Emily actually had the opportunity, and she wasn't even taking it.

"Okay," Emily said as she stood up, not wanting to pass up a good opportunity while she still had it. "I'll do it."

"That's my girl!" Aria said proudly as she stared up at Emily. Emily lovingly flicked one of Aria's felt ears before walking off to the dance floor, while Aria just stared longingly after her.

All of her friends were on the dance floor now, dancing with their respective spouses, and she was alone. This had happened several times before, yet she could never seem to get used to the lonely feeling. She loved Ezra with all her heart, but she couldn't deny that the relationship had some drawbacks. And this was most definitely one of them.

She supposed she could just give him some sort of warning signal to join her in their secret hiding place, but she was afraid it would raise eyebrows. So instead, she promptly gritted her teeth and stayed in her spot on the ground.

"Montgomery," a deep voice said, and Aria looked up. Noel was looking down on her, smirking.

Aria sighed. "What do you want, Noel?" she said as she stood up from the ground.

He just gave her his notorious grin. "I want a dance," he said simply.

Aria just laughed in his face, but something in his features was completely serious. Aria stopped laughing. "Wait, you're serious right now?"

"Jenna's in the bathroom, and you don't look too happy here by yourself," he said with a shrug. "Why not?"

"But Noel - "

"Can't we just put the past behind us and enjoy right now?" he asked earnestly, holding out his hand for him to take.

Aria chewed on the inside of her cheek, falling back into her bad habit. She had forgotten how sweet and charming Noel could be; it was one of his winning features that made him such a catch among female students in her year, and it was part of what made her go out with him in the first place. She knew that if she said no, he'd be suspicious, so she finally gave up and took his extended hand.

He led her to the center of the dance floor, and Aria stole a glance behind her. Ezra was looking straight in her direction, shocked, and even a little hurt.

_I'll explain later_, she mouthed as she turned back to Noel and put her hands on his shoulders, trying to erase Ezra's broken expression from her mind as she tried to force John Mayer's soothing words into it. "_I know a girl, she puts the color inside of my world..._"

* * *

Emily started making her way over to Paige as a smile crept over her face. Her smile was reflected on Paige's own features, but that disappeared in merely a second. She was still looking straight at Emily when her face transformed, and Emily was confused by this, so she turned around.

"Heeyyyy, girl," Maya slurred as she stumbled up to Emily.

_Oh my god,_ Emily thought frantically. _This is not happening_.

Emily turned around to Paige, whose lips were tightly pursed in unmistakable irritation. Shooting her an apologetic glance, Emily grabbed Maya by the arm and pulled her over to the side of the dance floor.

"Ooh, where are we going?" Maya asked as her eyes drooped. In a huff, Emily took Maya straight over to one of the benches, where she promptly sat her down on it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Emily said interrogatively. "Why are you even here? Dance music isn't your thing, remember?"

"Good to see you actually care enough to remember a small detail about me," Maya snapped as she tried to cross her legs, but failed miserably.

"Maya, don't give me that crap."

"Oh I'm sorry," Maya said with unmistakable sarcasm. "Am I ruining your evening?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," Emily snapped. "You _are_. If you like me so much, why do you have to make me so miserable? Why can't you just let me be _happy_?"

"Ugh, you are so _full _of it, Emily!" Maya said frustratedly, and Emily could tell that this wasn't the alcohol talking; this was all Maya. "You think this is because I _like you_?"

"Why else would you be doing this?" Emily exclaimed over the music.

"Because you're just throwing me away like I'm a piece of garbage," Maya said angrily, her tongue clicking against her teeth with surprising accuracy for someone who could barely make her words out earlier. "And with a girl that you're not even _right_ for!"

"You don't even know her," Emily croaked, shaking her head. "You don't know whether she's right for me or not."

"I know that back when _we_ were dating, you had a giant bruise on your left shoulder for weeks when she threw you off of your broom in anger," Maya pointed out. "And now you're _dating her_?"

Maya had a point. Several years ago, Paige and Emily were actually competitive adversaries. Paige would constantly act out aggressively against Emily, but Emily had no idea at the time that she was acting out in frustration because of her love for Emily. Emily was already out of the closet, and Paige was jealous that she couldn't join her on the other side.

"There was a lot going on with her then," Emily said timidly.

"Well there's a lot going on with me right now," Maya said simply, "and you don't seem to care."

"Maya, I care about you alot!" Emily said. "I want us to be friends!"

"I can't be friends with someone that I want something more with!" Maya finally cried. "And I _especially _can't be friends with someone that I know wants something more with me, too!"

Emily froze. There was now complete silence between the two as John Mayer wailed some more over their heads. "_Oh, you see that skin? It's the same she's been standing in..._"

"Maya," Emily said calmly, "I don't want something more. I'm with _Paige_ now."

"You're not you when you're with her," Maya said, or _mumbled_ since her slur was returning. "You're only you when you're with _me_."

"Can you get more vain?!" Emily cried. "You have _no right_ to say that. I'm perfectly happy with Paige. When you left this school, I had to find a way to move on. And now I finally have!"

"Do you hear yourself? You had to _find a way_ to move on. You're not finished with me, and you know it."

Emily sighed. "Don't make a big deal out of this - "

"I'm _not_." Maya spat the words so hard that she nearly spit right in Emily's face. Emily could clearly smell the butterbeer on her breath. "_You _are. And I don't know why since you've clearly 'moved on' anyway."

"Because I need _space_!"

"Yeah, and I'm _giving you_ space," Maya said. "You just don't want to believe that I am because every time you see me, you start some big conspiracy over it. I go to this school now, Emily, you're going to see me! And if it's that big of a deal for you, then clearly there is something between us."

"There's _nothing_ between us!"

"Then look me in the eye," Maya said in a low, tight voice, "and tell me that you have no feelings for me."

More silence. Mayer went on to sing the next verse. "_Boys, you can break, you'll find out how much they can take..._"

Emily opened her mouth to say something, but she was rendered speechless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to form the fateful words on her tongue.

"Everything okay, Em?" Paige asked, walking up to the girls. Emily bit her tongue. _Great_.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Emily said forcefully, hoping Paige didn't notice the way her voice was cracking. "Right Maya?"

"_Peachy_," Maya said in a voice that dripped sarcasm as she made her way to her feet. Without another word, she stood upright, clumsily straightened the pleats on her pixie costume, and stumbled away.

Emily shot to her feet, staring after Maya, her last words to Emily still ringing in her ear.

_Look me in the eye and tell me that you have no feelings for me_.

And Emily hadn't said a word.

"What was that about?" Paige asked gently. The anger in her features from earlier was gone. Now she was just genuinely concerned. For all she knew, Maya could be harassing her girlfriend!

"Nothing," Emily said, shrugging it off. "Just... hold me, okay?"

For a minute, Paige was stunned. But then her features softened, and she nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around Emily's shoulders, and Emily then rested her head on Paige's shoulders, and both simply swayed to the music, trying their very hardest to block out the world before them.

_On behalf of every man  
Looking out for every girl  
You are the god and the weight of her world_

_So fathers, be good to your daughters  
Daughters will love like you do  
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers  
So mothers, be good to your daughters too_

* * *

**Side Note: Alright, there are two references in this chapter: one from the show, and one from something completely different. Bonus points if you can guess the completely different one :) and I've always liked Emaria friendship, especially in the earlier seasons. They always gave each other relationship advice and i thought it was cute. We need more scenes with those two alone on the show! Alright truth time- Emaya or Paily? I personally can't decide; Paily is many levels of adorable in season 4, but Emaya will always hold a very special place in my heart. I mean, she was Emily's first girlfriend! I'm completely torn, what do you guys think? And Daughters. I don't know if this song could be connected to the context of the scene in any way- maybe how protective Paige is of Emily, much like a father to a daughter? Or maybe since John Mayer makes the distinction in his song how girls genetically analyze and process their relationships more than guys, that relates to the processing nature that possesses all lesbians (shout out again to AfterEllen). But I have also just always loved this song, and it seems like the perfect song to slow dance to. I slow danced to it at cotillion when I was in fifth grade with my crush of one year, and the song was too perfect XD So ANYWAY, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Alright, fellow hobbits, here are the references that you were able to guess. Again, not doing shout outs. You know who you are.**

**The ENTIRE "Look me in the eye and tell me you have no feelings for me" conversation. You guys thought it was only the last line, but it was actually majority of the conversation haha. It's from the Homecoming episode (1x06) and it's an Emaya scene, and it is legitimate perfection.  
And I know I said no shout outs, but I have to commend Ava B for getting the next reference, because she was the ONLY ONE! "Why are you dressed so scary?" "It's Halloween." MEAN GIRLS ANYONE?! Good grief.**

**Ignoring my past disbelief, let's move on to your fabulous reviews!**

**Titanium Wolf: I love that line too! That's why I used it ;) And oh man, don't even get me STARTED on October. It's gonna be heartbreaking. We won't be saying poor Ezra, but we sure as HELL will be saying poor Aria ;(;(;(  
hufflepuffhaleb: Haha, you love how I imagine the dance in the Great Hall, I hide my face in shame because this is what I do in my free time :/ Thank you so much!  
foreverwildandbeautifulmess: I love Emaria, too. I love all of the girls' friendships! They need to find a state where they can all just get married (polygamy MUST be an option somewhere). And you are right to be suspicious of Noel, but I won't say why ;) Thanks again for your review!  
Forever Courage: I like Paily, too! And thank you!  
Ava B: I KNOW! Such a shocker. And YOU GO GLENN COCOA! Andddd none for Lucas Gottesman, bye. And aww, square dancing is adorable! We had square dancing in gym in 7th grade. There were probably one or two cute boys in my square, but I can't remember.  
Sarah: Caleb is SO sassy! It's partly why I love him so much ;) and "Look at your life. Look at your choices." I cannot tell you how hard I laughed at that. You are just BRILLIANT! And no, it's actually not HP related! It's Mean Girls related ;)  
TotalCowGirl: You have to admit, when it comes to Aria he's actually a decent guy (EXCEPT when he's trying to sabotage her relationship. EXCEPT).  
Bagilia: Your poor caps key, hahaha. And aww, I'm so happy that I made your day XD and Haleb shippers are definitely badass, I'll give you that. Thank you so much for the kind review (and the Vanderjesus comparison. I just can't resist that!)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: I really like Noel! Not to mention his evilness and smile is just chilling. And he's on Dancing With The Stars now! And don't even get me STARTED with Jakria. He makes me so mad. LEAVE MY EZRIA BABIES ALONE DAMMIT! And Noel is up to something, but it's not gonna be what you think he's up to ;) Thanks again for your review, keep being amazing!  
Goldenheart11: I like Emaya too! Thanks for the review XD**

**Alright, kiddies, a new chapter coming your way! Enjoy, and PLEASE review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER at the end!**

* * *

Spencer rocked back and forth to the music as she rested her head on Toby's surprisingly comfy shoulder. With his arms wrapped around her bony frame and his chin rested on the crown of her head, she felt surprisingly at home.

"Toby," she whispered, "I'm sorry I haven't been as present as I should be with you. But I hope you know how much I love you..."

"Spencer," he said tenderly, "I know who you are. You don't ever have to say you're sorry."

At this, Spencer let out a long, relieved sigh as she wrapped her arms even more tightly around him. Somehow, Toby managed to be exactly what she needed at a time like this.

As the song neared its end, Spencer looked up from her position on Toby's shoulder to see Ezra standing by himself. She then mentally thumped herself on the head; she had basically _stolen_ his books, and then lost them when someone else stole the books from _her_. She felt horrible.

_Better come clean to him now,_ she thought grimly. _The longer I wait, the bigger the lie, after all._

Eventually the song stopped, and Toby pulled back to kiss Spencer's hand. "Well thank you for a lovely dance, Miss Granger."

Spencer smiled bashfully as she reached up to tug at one of his lobster-red hairs. "The pleasure is all mine, Ronald," she said playfully.

Toby then started to lead her off of the dance floor, but she declined; she told him that she needed to talk to someone really fast. Toby gave her one of his suspicious looks, where his breathtaking blue eyes lost their shine and his face hardened. But he let her go; he wasn't going to let anything ruin tonight for them.

Spencer made her way through the crowd until she found Ezra. "Nice Gilderoy Lockhart costume!"

Ezra looked down at his costume, running the feathery border of his coat through his fingers. "Thank you!"

"So, listen," Spencer began tentatively, "I have something to tell you... something you're not going to like."

It took a minute, but Ezra's shoulders visibly slumped. "Spencer, what did you do?"

She sighed before continuing. "I sorta... took some of your books on the Chamber off of your shelf."

"_What?_"

"That's not the worst part," Spencer continued, trying her hardest not to wince. "I... I lost them."

Ezra's jaw slackened, and Spencer immediately jumped at the chance to explain. "Look, whatever they cost, I'll pay you back I promise! But I just feel horrible about it, and - "

"Spencer, I'm not worried about the cost of the books," Ezra squeaked. "I'm worried about what _happened_ to them."

Spencer froze. "Wha... what do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"Did you lose them, or did someone _steal_ them?" Ezra asked knowingly.

"I... I think someone stole them." she said unsurely.

Ezra huffed as he shoved his hands into his pockets for shelter, clearly scared. "I was worried you were gonna say that."

"Why?"

"Because _The Daily Prophet_ people probably snagged them up!" Ezra whispered hastily. "They've been scavenging the place for something juicy, and they might have just found something!"

"It might not be them, though," Spencer pointed out. "It could be..."

"Who?" Ezra asked, curious, and a little suspicious. "Who could it be?"

Spencer just bit her lip. Hard. She might have said too much.

"Spencer," Ezra said slowly, his voice cracking, "is that why you're studying the Chamber so much? Is there someone out there that you know about?"

Finally, Spencer sighed. Okay, what would it hurt if she told him _something_? "That's the thing, I _don't_ know who that someone is. But this whole issue with the Chamber is a lot more complicated than everyone thinks, and if we solve all of the smaller complicated issues first, I think we can figure out who opened the Chamber."

"What other complicated issues are there?" Ezra asked.

"Didn't you hear me? It's _complicated_," Spencer snapped. "But maybe I'll know more if I know the entrance to the Chamber. If I can go take a look - "

"A look into the Chamber?" Ezra's eyes were so big they competed with those of pygmy tarsiers and small dogs. Had she _actually_ lost it? "Spencer, do you even realize how _dangerous _that is? And besides, you won't be able to get in. Only the Heir of Slytherin can open the Chamber."

"Yeah, I know that," she said bluntly. "So all I need to do is figure out who the Heir of Slytherin is."

"It's not that simple," Ezra said seriously.

"How? It has to be someone in this school right?"

"Does it?" he asked quizzically. "It could be anyone; I doubt the Heir is going to let student or gender restrictions get to them - "

"Wait." Something Ezra said made the cogs in Spencer's head work overtime. "... _Gender_?"

Ezra blinked. "Yeah," he said carefully. "The entrance to the Chamber is in the girls' bathroom on the second floor."

The girls' bathroom on the second floor.

_Moaning Myrtle_.

Of course!

Without so much as a goodbye or thank you to Ezra, Spencer dashed off. She weaved her way back through the crowd, searching for the other three girls the best that she could. Eventually, she found Hanna with Caleb, and grabbed her by the hem of her rags, ignoring her protests, and was able to pry Aria away from Noel(?) but she couldn't find Emily.

"Spencer, what's going on?" Hanna asked.

"Guys, I know where the entrance to the Chamber is," Spencer said excitedly.

"You do? Where?"

"In the girls' bathroom on the second floor," Spencer answered. "Do you know what that means?"

Both Hanna and Aria just stared at Spencer, at a loss, until Aria finally spoke up. "... No."

Spencer just sighed; being the intellectual one in the group often had its drawbacks. "Guys, remember when we all first got our fangs? Remember the 'person' we _talked to_?"

Hanna was still taking a minute, but Aria finally snapped her fingers in recognition. "_Myrtle_!"

"Yes! And Myrtle knows something," Spencer said seriously. "I bet she saw who opened the Chamber. I bet she knows about the fangs, and who's giving them to us."

"I thought we agreed we're not viewing them as connected," Aria said.

"Aria, I'm almost positive they're connected!" Spencer said determinedly. "There's too much going on for it to be separate. The Basilisk fangs - "

"We don't have proof that they were from a Basilisk, though," Aria pointed out.

"Yes we do! I saw it on the page!"

"Wait, guys," Hanna interrupted. "Shouldn't we wait for Emily before we go super deep into discussion?"

"That's true, where is she?" Spencer asked.

"I just saw her on the dance floor with Paige," Aria said in confusion. "I don't know where else she could - "

But Aria didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, for in the hallway, there was a blood curdling scream that stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Stop the music!" Professor McGonagall yelled. "Stop the music!"

The music stopped, but voices were still heard, whispering about what could be going on. Finally, the staff was able to calm everyone down, and they were able to hear the heartbroken wail, clear as a bell, in a voice that was unmistakably Emily's.

"_MAYA!_"

* * *

**Side Note: So now Myrtle can be labeled as a possible witness according to the girls. The question is how much will she reveal? And oh Maya, that girl cannot catch a break :/ but whatever happened to her, it is significant. VERY significant. Keep reading and reviewing for next chapter!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Man, y'all reviewed your FACES off for the last chapter! And congrats to Spobyistruelove, Ally, and Bagilia for getting the reference last chapter!**

**"Spencer, I know who you are. You don't ever have to say you're sorry." A Spoby scene from 3x12, back when he was sweet adorable Toby and we DIDN'T know he was A and "The Backpack Song" started playing in the background and they hugged/kissed and she touched his chin and laughed and it's all too perfect. FEEELLLLSSSSSS!**

**Ahem. Okay, now for your lovely reviews:**

**TotalCowGirl: You will find out this chapter what happened to her, and then you'll find out the reason much later! Thank you for sticking with me :)  
Silver-Infinite: It's a very Nate thing for him to do, isn't it? Ugh, I couldn't STAND that guy!  
Sarah: Ezra is basically a little puppy dog. WHO IS THAT ATTRACTIVE AND ADORABLE?! And it's always a good day when the Liars put on their sleuthing hats. And I'm gonna slip in a small teaser for you: coming up in this story, you won't just see the LIARS with their sleuthing hats on, but EVERYONE with their sleuthing hats on! And your description of Spencer's wardrobe made me DIE, so accurate and hilarious. Don't forget Country Bumpkin meets Audrey Hepburn! And heh, sorry about Maya :/ you'll find out soon, though! Thank you for being so fab in your reviews, I appreciate it/look forward to it more than you know!  
Forever Courage: Indeed, Maya has bitten the dust. And interesting that you thought Aria was going to be petrified. As much of a twist as that would've been, I couldn't. This story wouldn't survive without everyone's favorite bug-eyed pixie! And A could be anyone. Keep your eyes open! ;)  
Ayoungnovelist: HAHAHA, truer words have never been spoken.  
Sgdp1261: Don't feel bad about missing a chapter! I won't hold it against you. And haha, everyone seems to love that line! Alright, I'll go along with it. And well, then I guess I can say "GOTCHA!" As much as I didn't want Maya to go, it is significant to this story :( And indeed, no one is safe at Hogwarts at the moment. NO ONE! And yes, you can expect MAJOR sleuthing coming up, so hold onto your socks!  
Spobyistruelove: I hope Myrtle tells the girls, too! She holds some valuable information, but she's just too damn stubborn! Thanks for your review :)  
Titanium Wolf: Haha, no worries, I'm used to it by now. And I'm gonna be honest, after this next chapter I'm gonna get a LOT of comments like that...  
Ally: I love them as a couple, too! Well, excluding season 4, that is. And aww, thank you so much! I love writing for your reading pleasure :)  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Glad you liked the Spoby moment! And I love writing for Spezra because Ezra is just this adorable little Hufflepuff that can't handle Spencer's intensity, no matter how hard he tries. It's entertaining :) Thanks again for your fabulous reviews!  
Ava B: I was so surprised, too! It's my favorite movie. And Harry is unaware at the moment. The staff is refusing to send out information to any parents because they want to look like they're handling it. And Harry really does have the worst luck, doesn't he?  
hufflepuffhaleb: You'll see! And hmm, I hadn't written for the Yule Ball, but maybe I'll add that in at some point! That's a good idea :) And me? A genius? NAH! Haha, but thank you so much, your reviews mean the world to me! XD  
PrettyWitchyVamp: I remember when I used to like Toby, too! Good times, man, good times. And haha, bad move Fitz. He just doesn't know how to handle Spencer! Then again, who does? (Aria. Aria does. Because Team Sparia. DUH.)  
Bagilia: I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR CAPS! Haha, yes, I was surprised you missed that reference! I thought EVERYONE would get it! And haha, my friends either call me a pygmy tarsier or a bush baby because of my large eyes (another nickname. Looks like I forgot that one haha) so I felt the need to include that somewhere in this story! And you can't just TEACH someone Parseltongue! Harry didn't even know he was speaking it! And I believe I might've fit in a cameo from them at some point during this story ;) you just need to stay with me!**

**Alright, before I start this chapter, I want to apologize, because it is my LEAST favorite chapter in this entire story. Some of you WILL want to do bad things to me after this, but I am begging you to 1) Not, because I don't like bad things happening to me, and 2) STAY WITH ME! It'll get better, I promise!**

* * *

Maya was sprawled across the ground, a hunted look in her now glassy eyes and her wand on the floor directly beside her. When the girls heard Emily scream, they, along with the rest of the student body, came running, and found Emily sobbing over Maya's now unconscious body.

Spencer was now holding on tightly to Emily as her body shook with sobs, and Madam Pomfrey began yet another examination on yet another student.

"It's okay, Em," Spencer whispered soothingly as she, Hanna, and Aria all rubbed calming circles on Emily's back, trying to comfort her, while also wondering what the hell happened.

"I finished the dance, but I was w-w-worried about Maya going off on her own," Emily explained, stuttering. "I mean she was _drunk_! I couldn't just _leave_ her."

"And then what?" Hanna asked softly.

Emily let out a shaky breath as she buried her head into Spencer's shoulder. "I came out here looking for her, and... and..."

Aria's eyes widened, shining with sadness, as well as understanding. "Emily, I'm so sorry."

Emily just continued to cry while they took Maya away to the Infirmary, and as more and more students started crowding around the scene of the crime. The girls continued to comfort Emily, who was a basket case by this point, but suddenly Hanna stopped rubbing her back. Instead, she started tapping Emily repeatedly to get her attention.

Confused, Emily sat up, and Hanna pointed ahead.

Standing before the four girls was a very hurt Paige McCullers.

Emily froze. "Paige..."

But Paige didn't want to hear it. She bowed her head, tears steadily filling her eyes, as she darted off in a different direction. Emily immediately shot out of Spencer's arms to go after Paige, pushing her way through the crowd of people to get to her.

Hanna looked unsurely at the other two. "Should we..."

"No." Aria shook her head. "It's her relationship, we should let her deal with it."

Spencer nodded her head in agreement, until she saw Wren start walking toward her.

"Umm I'll be right back you guys," she said as she stood up to go talk to him.

"I was hoping I'd run into you," Wren said as soon as Spencer had reached him. They both walked over to the side of the corridor.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"We still don't know," he said, shaking his head in shame. "Obviously these all have something to do with the Chamber, but we can't figure out what. After all, the Basilisk is dead. It just doesn't make sense."

Spencer crossed her arms protectively over herself. She did not like the sound of anything that was spewing out of his mouth. Wren reached for her arm.

"Moving on to something similar: you asked me about fangs earlier," he said inquisitively. "I've been meaning to ask you... why would you ask me that?"

Spencer opened her mouth to answer, but immediately found that she couldn't. Wren squeezed her arm gently, and she looked up into his brown eyes to see a world of care and concern in them. "Spencer, is someone harassing you with fangs of some sort?"

Spencer gulped. "Umm..."

"If they are, you can tell me," he said earnestly. "For one, we can figure out if these fangs do lead to some sort of beast, and go from there on what is causing these falling stars. And also..." He then bowed his head. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"But... you don't even know me," Spencer said in confusion.

"I know enough," Wren said as he stepped forward. "You can trust me, Spencer."

Maybe it was the loving way he was looking at her, or maybe it was someone approaching her with open arms, but Spencer finally cracked. A lone tear spilled down the frame of her face as she whispered, "I'm scared."

Wren's eyes widened in shock. "Hey, it's okay!" he said hastily as he wrapped her in a hug, and she continued to sob into his pirate costume.

"What's going on here?"

Spencer immediately shot out of Wren's arms. "Toby!"

"Hey, mate, how are you?" Wren said warily, reaching his arm backward to cup the back of his neck in unease.

Toby looked at the pair in suspicion. Spencer briskly walked over to Toby and linked arms with him, drying her eyes with her other hand. "Toby, this is Wren, the nurse who's working for Madam Pomfrey during this time. Wren, this is Toby... my boyfriend."

The way the light disappeared from Wren's eyes and his shoulders slumped _ever_ so slightly told Toby enough.

* * *

"Paige, slow down!" Emily called as she stalked down the hall after her girlfriend, trying her hardest not to trip on her billowing cloak. "Paige!"

Finally, Paige slowed down to a stop before whipping around to face Emily, fury and sadness crystal clear in her brown eyes. "Do you have any idea how _humiliating_ that was for me?"

"Paige - "

"I love you, Emily." She enunciated each word carefully, her tongue clicking against her teeth in anger and her body shaking vigorously. "You know that, I know that, the entire _school_ knows that!"

"Paige - "

"And you know what else the entire school knows now?" Paige shouted. "They know that you don't love me back!"

Emily closed her eyes, several tears escaping them. "That's not true."

"Em, you broke down two seconds ago when your old girlfriend was found lying on the ground, unconscious!" Paige cried. "You clearly still have feelings for her!"

"I don't, Paige!" Emily said desperately. "I love _you_!"

"Could've fooled me," Paige spat, and the harshness in her tone was enough to make Emily flinch. Paige just shook her head. "Look, I get it, okay? She was your first. Those feelings just don't go away."

"I care about Maya, but I don't feel the same way about her that I feel about you."

"You're right," Paige deadpanned, and it was clear the her heart was breaking with the words she was about to say. "Your feelings for her are much greater."

With that, Paige dashed off, running down the hall as quickly as her legs would carry her, amazingly managing not to trip on her dementor cloak. Emily tried to catch up, but someone pulled on her arm, holding her back.

Emily whipped around. "Hanna, let _go_!" Emily growled, but Hanna wouldn't back down.

"It's no use, Emily," she said softly, trying to get through to her. "Just give her some space - "

"I said let _go!_" Emily snapped, finally pulling herself out of Hanna's grasp. Hanna stood back, blinking in surprise. Emily had hardly ever even raised her voice before; this was a huge step up.

Finally, Emily couldn't take it. All of her anger vanished as she collapsed in a heap on the floor, completely overwhelmed with the recent events. Hanna sighed sadly as she crouched down with Emily, holding her friend as she cried. She had just gotten Maya back, only to lose her again, and along with Maya she had lost Paige, the one she could count on through anything.

Hanna continued to hug Emily, calming her down. "I can't even imagine what you're going through - "

She didn't finish her sentence. Up ahead of her was a sight that rendered her speechless, and practically stopped all of the blood flow in her body.

Caleb was standing up ahead, a broken expression on his face as he held up an incriminating picture.

The picture was a close-up of Lucas and Hanna. _Kissing_.

* * *

"Toby, I can explain - "

"What's to explain, Spencer?" Toby scowled, turning around to face her. "For months now, I've felt like... I only exist in part of your _life_! And now it's all making sense."

"What's all making sense?"

"You and... that _doctor_," he spat. "There's something going on between you two, isn't there?"

"No, there's not!" Spencer pleaded. "He was just being nice! I'm going through a rough time, and - "

"If you were going through a rough time, why didn't you come to me?!" Toby shouted, and Spencer stopped dead in her tracks. She saw why this all looked bad; she didn't care about Wren in the same way she did Toby, which was why she didn't feel bad letting him in on what was going on.

But Toby didn't know that.

"More silence," Toby muttered. "Great."

"Toby, please," Spencer whispered hoarsely, not able to utter out another sound. "You just have to trust me."

"Trust you?" he echoed, his voice cracking. Clearly he'd done some crying of his own. "I did trust you; you were the one person I _could_ trust, the _one reason_ I thought I'd be _okay_ in Slytherin, that I'd be _okay_ in a house I didn't really belong in, because I had YOU!"

Spencer felt like she was going to throw up. She had given him hope, and then just promptly thrown it away. Just like that.

Toby bowed his head. "I can't help but feel like there's nothing left."

"There is, Toby, there _is_."

"No there's not," he said softly. "I'm... I'm _done_, Spencer."

Spencer's heart stopped. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"Are you breaking up with me?" She forced the words out of her mouth as though she were trying to swallow something that didn't taste very good. Toby just raised his head as he turned away from her.

"You're not giving me much of a choice, are you?"

* * *

"What I don't understand is that you felt like you had to lie to me," Caleb spat, his voice cracking as tears met the front of his eyes. Hanna stepped back, at a loss for words. She had only seen Caleb cry a select few times before, and it had never had anything to do with her.

"Caleb, you don't understand - "

"Is this the REAL reason you've been so distant?" he asked, his brown eyes wide with plea. "Did it ever have anything to do with - "

"Caleb of COURSE it had to do with the fangs," Hanna interrupted. "Lucas had nothing to do with that!"

"Right." Caleb crumpled the picture in his hand into a small ball, and chucked it straight into the brick wall to his right. It hit the wall with a satisfying SMACK, and then scuttled down to the floor. "Lucas was just someone you thought you could kiss behind my back. Forget about the fact that I've been doing everything in my power to keep you safe, to check up on you, to keep our relationship going strong. Forget ALL of that!"

"Caleb..." Hanna could feel tears in her own eyes now. Emily was not far behind her, at the other end of the hall, watching this all take place. Hanna willed herself not to cry; she wouldn't let Emily see her like this. "You have to understand it meant nothing! He kissed ME!"

"I want to believe that," he said, his voice shaking as he took a step toward Hanna. "But the fact that you hid this from me... that doesn't reassure me."

"Please, just try to listen - "

"I have done nothing BUT listen, Hanna!" he shouted. "I've been nothing but patient with you these past 2 months, and for what? For you to treat me like this?!"

Hanna froze. As his words hit her, like someone flicking water on her after they'd just washed their hands, she winced. He was absolutely right. He was just trying to be a good boyfriend, and she had done nothing but push him away.

It didn't matter if she hadn't initiated the kiss. What mattered was how she treated Caleb. Kiss or no kiss, she had been a pretty bad girlfriend this entire time.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing she could think of to say, and the only thing she managed to squeak out of her mouth at the moment.

Caleb's face didn't soften. If anything it just hardened even further.

"Yeah," he whispered. "Me too." And with that, he walked away, as Hanna's tears finally broke free and Emily ran up to her to encase her in a hug as she fell to the ground, tears encompassing her entire frame.

* * *

After the scene where Maya was found had calmed down significantly and most people had either returned to the party or to their dorms, Aria was going somewhere completely different. She made her way down the corridor and turned the corner at the very end, into a not-too-well-known spot that held a special place in her heart. Once she walked past the stone pillar and into the dark, decrepit area, she found herself standing across from the person she expected to be standing across from. He was wearing a completely blank expression on his face, absent of all emotion.

It was 12:52.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Something came up, and - "

"Aria, I'm not mad at you for skipping out on me," Ezra said as he took off his ratty brown wig and held it in his hands. "I was there, too."

"Oh," Aria said, shocked. All this time she spent feeling horrible for nothing.

But then Ezra lowered his head. "I'm just upset that you lied to me."

"Lied to you?" Aria repeated. "What do you - "

"The Chamber of Secrets, Aria." Ezra's voice was sharp. Clearly this was killing him. "Did you know that Spencer took my books to study the Chamber?"

"She took books from _you_?" Aria was speechless. "She never told me that! I just thought she was using the books that I took from the restricted section."

Ezra's eyes widened, and Aria immediately realized her mistake. "You did _what?_"

Aria bit her tongue. "You weren't supposed to know that."

"Yeah, looks like there's a whole lot of stuff I'm not supposed to know!" Ezra threw his arms up in the air as he started pacing around the concrete. "Aria, I don't like you keeping secrets from me, especially on something as dangerous as this. What is going on that you guys need to dig deeper into something that's already being taken care of?"

Aria just looked at him, wishing more than ever that she could just tell him everything, but she couldn't. Not if that meant putting him in danger. Aria simply turned her back to him. "You wouldn't understand," she said softly, her voice trembling.

"Why?" he said from behind her. "Because I'm too old?"

Aria felt her blood run cold, and she immediately spun around. "That's not what I said at _all_."

"But it's what you meant, wasn't it?"

"Not really!" Aria said, appalled at his suggestion. It really wasn't what she meant; when she and Ezra were together, the only thing reminding them of their age differences was the fact that they had to keep sneaking around. She meant that he wouldn't understand what she and her friends had been going through for the past 2 months, or at least she didn't _want_ him to understand because she wanted him _out_ of it.

"Aria, I saw you with Noel," Ezra said obviously.

"That was just a - "

"Cover?" he finished. "I figured that, but I also figured how much more _sense_ it would make. Seeing you with Noel got me thinking of how hard this relationship is; always having to sneak around - "

"I don't mind that."

"Well I do!" Ezra blurted out. "For your sake, I do. We've been going out for a few years now, and... I feel like I'm _ruining_ your years here!"

"Ezra, don't be ridicul - "

"I don't want any complications for you, Aria," he interrupted, running over her attempt at arguing. "I love you too much for that. I just want you to be happy!"

"I'm happy with _you!_"

"Are you?" Ezra challenged, and immediately Aria knew what she was hinting at; her always being distant, not answering when he pried her about what was wrong... she could see why all of that looked bad.

"You deserve to be with someone your own age, and be a normal teenage wizard!"

"As of right now, _nothing_ in my life is normal, Ezra. And I doubt it'll be getting back to that place anytime soon!"

"Yeah it will," Ezra said simply as he started walking toward the exit. "With me out of it."

And just like that, he was gone. Aria could feel her limbs shaking. She couldn't believe it. She and Ezra were actually broken up.

Out of the shadows, right before Aria's eyes, a cloak swept through the air. Aria blinked, and sure enough, before her were her three best friends. They had seen all of it.

Spencer stepped forward tentatively, before widening her arms. "C'mere."

Aria slowly walked forward with small steps, about ready to faint, until she collapsed into Spencer's arms. Spencer just kept hugging Aria as she cried, thinking over and over to herself how everything had finally just fallen completely apart.

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Aria squeaked.

"This whole thing was a setup," Hanna spoke, her voice much more calm and serious than it usually was. "This A person somehow set us up so that we'd keep this thing a secret until finally..."

"It just blew up," Emily finished. "And all on the same night."

Aria swallowed loudly, still encased in Spencer's arms. "You guys think - "

"I've been thinking about this for the majority of the evening," Spencer interjected. "The way all of us were dumped, it's the only explanation."

"And it all leads back to Maya getting petrified," Emily said morbidly. "When that happened, everything went down south for all of us. I lost Paige, it gave this... _person_ the chance to slip Caleb the picture of Hanna and Lucas, Spencer was caught talking to Wren in front of Toby, and it led to Ezra getting frustrated and left out from all the secrets!"

Aria let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding as she turned to the other girls. "That's... brilliant."

Hanna huffed in the background. "I'm starting to think that bitch has superpowers."

"How do we even know if it's a girl?" Spencer argued.

"It's always felt like a 'she', hasn't it?" Hanna said, newfound wisdom present in her tone.

Aria sniffled loudly. "Great, so 'A' has taken away the people we love, and basically single-handedly ruined everything."

"And we still have the whole year left to deal with them," Emily added on.

"Unless we stop them." This addition came from Spencer, who was wearing her "Spencer" face as she pondered over the different ways she could destroy this 'A' person, the opener of the Chamber of Secrets, whoever they were, and stop them from hurting her and her friends once and for all.

Unfortunately, Hanna was not quite into this plan. She let out a loud yawn. "Well, can we do this in the morning? I'm exhausted."

"I don't wanna go back to my dorm, though," Emily said grimly. "Paige is up there."

"Ugh you're right; Lucas is gonna be up there waiting for me," Hanna moaned. "I won't be able to hear the end of it now that Caleb and I are broken up."

"Then let's postpone those interactions for now," Spencer said determinedly. She walked over to the center of the concrete, took off her robe, and set it down on the ground. "We'll just camp out here tonight."

"Yeah right," Hanna scoffed. "We'll freeze to death!"

"No we won't! I can sneak into the Hospital Wing and get some blankets from there."

"Spencer," Emily began in a grounded voice, "I see what you're trying to do, but - "

"Just this one time, guys," Spencer begged. "We won't get caught, I promise! Would you rather be all warm and cozy with the people you're trying to avoid, or in a risky situation with the people you really wanna be with?"

All of the girls pondered over this; Spencer had a point. When they stuck together, things seemed to shape out much better than when they were separated. Right now they were all tired and miserable, but if they were together for the rest of the night maybe things would get better.

Finally, all of the girls agreed; this would be where they would sleep for the night. This would be where they tried to forget about the events of the evening, and tried to forget that the loves of their lives were gone; maybe for now, or maybe for good.

All they had was each other, so they would stick by each other through the rest of it.

* * *

**Annnddddd cue the wrath.**

**I hate having to break the relationships up, but I had to in order for the plot to move forward. However, I don't regret the ending; the ultimate ship on this show is the four main girls, and they know that when they're together things become automatically better. Moving on: Now the girls are more determined than ever since A basically destroyed their love lives, and things from here are gonna start picking up :) PLEASE do not stop reading here just because your favorite couples broke up, PLEASE keep reading! It's just starting to get good!**

**ALSO, keep in mind, each couple is endgame, so a reunion IS inevitable, AND the four spouses are going to get involved like they've never gotten involved before. This breakup is just gonna make them realize how much they love the girls, and how much they wanna protect each of them! So stay tuned, and, even if it's filled with curse words and wrath toward me, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	33. Chapter 33

**So... y'alls response last chapter was nothing short of explosive... understandable! And there were so many references last chapter that I'm not even going to address them. If you're curious just read through last chapters reviews since a lot of people were able to guess majority of them. It has reached that point of laziness.**

**Now for your reviews, which, while consisting mainly of death threats (well, okay, that was mainly Bagilia, the rest of you were too heartbroken to even CONSIDER the concept of killing me), were still FABULOUS (and fun fact: this past chapter got the most reviews yet! Nice work, you guys):**

**Sarah: Sorry for the heart shattering! And yes, the spouse sleuthing agency is most DEFINITELY open for business! Expect a LOT of that coming up ;)  
EmmersonTiriel: You really should review more often because your reviews are AWESOME! Thank you for your opinion and UNDERSTANDING that the liars need to be separated from their spouses to really focus on finding out who A is and who is out to get them. And as a feminist, I totally agree with you. We should all take a leaf out of Mona's book and understand that a girl does not need a man/another girl to make her happy. And I thought it might be too much, but I did NOT want to drag it out. I'd rather rip it off like a band-aid, you know? And as for Alison, go back to the reviews and take a look at NorthernSteelGirl's review for the last chapter... she basically sums it up. Or if you're too lazy to do that, my reply to her is down below. In short, thank you for your review and your criticisms, I really appreciate it!  
Bagilia: Ooohhh I was dreading your review because I knew you would freak out like this... :/ do NOT freak out, though, because this story is just getting good! Caleb is still going to be an active part of it, as will the other spouses, and there's going to be a shit ton of other plot twists and turns that will have your jaw AT THE FLOOR, so don't leave me just yet! :)  
Ayoungnovelist: Sorry! It had to be done! Stay with me, chica :)  
Renesmee27: Yep, you got them! And thank you, I will keep 'em coming for you all :)  
NorthernSteelGirl: That's a REALLY good interpretation of it! Nice work! And you are right, and that is why Alison isn't in this story, because the Basilisk is a representation of Alison. Although, it goes a little deeper than that, and you will see how :)  
TotalCowGirl: Sorry! And it will last, but not TOO long! I'll say that :)  
Ava B: THANK YOU! It's so good to hear that over this pool of tears in the reviews :/ I feel horrible! And one might think Paige is being insensitive, but Paige has always been insecure about whether Emily has loved her back. She's been crushing on her for YEARS, and now her relationship with Emily just seems too good to be true. So when Emily is crying over Maya, Paige's insecurities are now seemingly proven right, and she is CRUSHED. Thanks for the review!  
hufflepuffhaleb: It's my least favorite too, haha, no worries. And yeah, my friends call me a bush baby sometimes! Still deciding on how I feel about it, haha. And no way, you look like Ginny?! That is awesome. I look like Jasmine from Aladdin I guess... except she's 10x prettier. And indeed, I PROMISE I will make up for it, so thank you for sticking with me!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Oh yeah, I am just a heartless cold bitch whose one main intent in this world is to kill all the fangirls ever. Jokes aside, I am sorry for your shattered heart, but you would be making a mistake if you stopped reading, so thank you! And yes, the girls' friendship is going to be stronger than ever before now!  
Guest: Just did!  
Spobyistruelove: Thank you! That's always a relief to hear. And yes, now the girls are determined as FUCK to find out who this mysterious person is.  
Brittana4ever: Yeah, I guess I did! And I want to get a cover pic so much, but I can't think of one! Hey, how about you make one for me and then message it to me? Good plan? ;) And yes, now that the liars are single, they can stay focused! And they are gonna get down to business, lemme tell you. Thanks for your review!  
Forever Courage: Wow, thank you! Didn't expect that response. And I ship both! I used to ship Spoby more, but I can't stand Spoby season 4, so I guess I'm pretty neutral. But Wren is adorable, so... And the person behind the fangs could literally be anyone, so keep your eyes open!  
Goldenheart11: Sorry! But stay with me, it's gonna get good. REALLY GOOD!  
p: So I think you were referencing Bagilia when you said you got this from a fic, so I made sure to personally thank her via PM. THANK YOU! I'm so glad you're enjoying it, it's been such a pleasure to write. Sorry for your broken heart, but stay with me, alright?  
Titanium Wolf: Hahah, well thank you! Nice to get some praise for all of the heartbreak I just caused... and you're going to LOVE what is next, I promise!  
Sgdp1261: I'm a Slytherin, of course I'm ambitious! And aww, the Ezria one was the hardest one to write, I must say :( I just love those two SO DAMN MUCH! And indeed, the ship between the four girls conquers all. And you're going to see a lot of that coming up! This story is going to get a lot darker, so you have that to look forward to!  
Silver-Infinite: It is a little like Glee! I didn't even realize!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Heh heh... sorry! And no it doesn't make you a sadist, haha. And oh man, I was so worried about your reaction to Ezria... sorry for the salt! And there will be awkward moments for all of the couples, I will say that. Get ready is all I'm saying. Get. Freakin'. READY.**

**Alright, NOW time for the chapter! This is possibly my favorite chapter in the entire story, even if it's kinda short. And it should make up for the inner turmoil I just put you guys through last chapter... heh heh :/**

* * *

Spencer shot up out of her repose in a cold sweat, breathing so quickly she was about ready to shout for assistance from an inhaler to get her back to normal. She looked to her right, and was surprised to see Hanna sprawled out next to her, bundled in a royal blue blanket. Next to Hanna was Emily, in the same position, and finally, to the left of Spencer was Aria, sleeping soundly as well.

It took several seconds for Spencer to realize where she was, and who she was with. She was not in her dormitory; she was in a cold corridor on Hogwarts grounds, lying on a Gryffindor robe with her three best friends, who were still sound asleep.

Spencer unraveled herself from her thin wool blanket, which was starting to itch anyway, as she stood up from the ground, the events from last night playing through her head like a slideshow. Another student had bitten the dust; Maya to be exact. She and Toby were broken up, as well as her friends and their respective spouses. And now they were here, together, with one common goal in mind; to get rid of this 'A' person, to close in on the Chamber, and end this chaos once and for all.

Spencer walked over to the window, wrapping her arms over herself to shield herself from the chilly night air. Unfortunately, her thin thermal shirt, which extended to her wrists, did not provide much warmth. She had no idea what time it was now, but she knew she couldn't go back to sleep. Not after the horrible dream she just had.

Spencer looked back over to the other girls. Each one was sound asleep; Hanna was even letting out a few snores. They looked so peaceful, so unaware of everything going on around them, so unaware of the world they would wake up to in just a few short hours.

Spencer walked over to get a closer look at each of the girls: each of their faces were tear-stained and cracked from all the crying they had done earlier, their eyelids nearly red from overuse. Emily's face in particular had several smears and blotches on it, since the saltwater from her tears had ruined her bleach white makeup, and her hood was up to cover her hair. Hanna had taken the rag parts of her costume off and was using them as a pillow. Aria had taken off her felt ears and tail, but had nothing to compensate for a pillow; instead, she had simply tried to find comfort in the soft velvet of Spencer's robe.

A gust of cold air swept through the room, almost as if there was a draft, and Spencer involuntarily shivered. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

She heard the sound of teeth chattering, and looked over to see whom it was coming from. It was Aria, shuddering as she rolled over in her sleep, her blanket sliding off of her and further down her body, revealing her black long sleeved shirt and the top part of her leggings, both of which being part of her costume from earlier in the evening. Spencer hesitated as she studied Aria, watching out for any other sign of stirring to see if she was awake, but the sound of Aria's shallow breathing confirmed to her that she was still very much asleep.

Not wanting her to be cold, Spencer walked over to Aria. She took the edge of the blanket in between her fingers and pulled it further up to Aria's chin, making sure she was fully tucked in.

But when she pulled away, Aria's eyes fluttered open. She looked at Spencer, confused.

"Spencer?" she mumbled sleepily. Her normally bright, round eyes were drooping out of exhaustion, hardly able to stay open. "What's wrong?"

Now Spencer just felt bad; she hadn't meant to wake up Aria. "Nothing's wrong, go back to sleep."

Aria shifted under the blanket, trying to get comfy. "Why are you up, then?"

Spencer sighed as she sat down next to where Aria was lying. "I _couldn't_ sleep," she admitted. "Bad dream."

"I'm sorry," Aria said hoarsely. She was still half asleep, so she didn't quite have her voice back yet. "What was it about?"

"Uhh... I forget," Spencer lied. Aria nodded her head, with some difficulty given the position she was in, and Spencer was just glad that Aria was too tired to figure her out.

When it seemed like Aria wasn't going to respond again, Spencer began to crawl back to her original spot on the spread out robe, but then she heard Aria mutter her name again.

"Yes?" Spencer said as she made her way back to Aria.

Aria opened her eyes a little more widely as she looked up at Spencer. "Is it ever going to stop?"

Spencer could feel her heart break as Aria voiced the words that she herself would never have the courage to ask out loud. She ruffled Aria's hair gently as a silent way of reassurance. "It will. Soon. I promise."

"How do you know?" Aria asked softly.

"Because we're all in this together," Spencer said confidently. "We love each other, and we'll protect each other. We'll end this together, okay?"

"Okay," Aria whispered, smiling weakly as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed, signalling to Spencer that she was back asleep.

Spencer sighed, somehow feeling even worse than before. She had now made a promise that she wasn't even sure she could keep; she _herself_ wasn't even sure if things would turn out alright, or if she and the girls would even survive their seventh year with the way everyone kept dropping to the ground. The fangs they received were no reassurance; if anything, they just proved that they were in even greater danger. The question was _how?_

But she couldn't let either of the girls know about the doubts she had in her mind. She had to be strong for them; if they knew that she was just as scared as they were, they would fall apart. Spencer had to solve this once and for all so that she could stop pretending. She _needed_ to keep her friends safe.

And that's just what she would do.

Figuring she wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon, Spencer reached over Aria to grab her blanket, laying in a heap on the other side, and wrapped it tightly around her own shoulders. Before getting off the ground, Spencer glanced over at Aria, now completely still like the other two girls as she breathed in and out at a steady pace; now in her own peaceful dreams, where nothing could harm her.

Spencer wished more than ever that they could all just stay in that place.

With a heavy heart, Spencer leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on Aria's forehead before standing upright and walking out of the hall and into the main corridor. She didn't even bother taking the Invisibility Cloak; she wasn't holding back this time.

She was ready to get some answers.

* * *

**Side Note: Anyone here who knows me knows that I love Sparia more than I love legit anything else on this show. So this was a bit of a filler chapter, but it serves as a prologue to NEXT chapter, which is all sorts of exciting! Also, I think you guys deserved a little breather after everything you just experienced last chapter :) So hopefully you enjoyed your breath of fresh air; now get ready to PLUNGE back into the water! See you guys on the other side, and don't forget to review review REVIEW!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Wow... 400 reviews... How... I can't even. Well, I actually can, because it's thanks to AvrilRP212 that I got up to this number so quickly. Reviewing 33 chapters in one sitting will do that, so shout out to them!**

**You all seemed to love Sparia and determined Spencer, which makes me so happy because they're too of my favorite things XD NOW to RESPOND to your fabulous reviews:**

**Sarah: You'll find out later what was in Spencer's dream... and if it is significant or not :) And Spencer is gonna be cranked up to 12.5 this chapter, so there's something you have to look forward to! :D And Aria-sized. This is why I laugh. And the Scoobies are SO in it to win it. They will bend over backwards if it means finding out who this bitch (or bastard) is behind their torture, and NOTHING can stop them now!  
Forever Courage: A small, innocent looking pixie, and a smart, determined, headstrong athlete, who love each other to the moon and back. I present to you: Sparia. HAHA, they really are the best thing in the world, I LOVE writing for them.  
hufflepuffhaleb: That's so cute that you and your friend have that! I'm a mix between Spencer and Aria, because while I'm completely type-A (just now I made my friend give me her math homework to do because I didn't have any and it was driving me crazy), I'm also a total sucker for romance, haha. Also, I look like if Troian and Lucy were to have a child since I'm short with black hair, but I have dark brown eyes instead of green eyes, so there's that. And Haleb will get together at some point, I'll say that! This is not the end :)  
TotalCowGirl: You'll find out later what her dream was about! :)  
Ava B: Oh, I disagree. I can GUARANTEE you that I love them more. And I see Spencer as the mom of the group, too. It's adorable XD Thanks for the review! And yes, I love Haunting. I really can't get enough of ihavealifeiswear, she's one of my favorites on here.  
Sgdp1261: Aria is the master of playing with Spencer's heart strings, and she doesn't even realize it! And agreed. They. Are. Perfection. And haha, perhaps a MASK of her game face on top of her already game face? *badum tssh* And well... Spencer isn't the best detective, we know this for a fact, but she's going to get something!  
Titanium Wolf: See? I would never COMPLETELY crush your heart! I'll only shatter it to the point that it can still be put back together again ;D Haha, 'victim'. You are right about that, you do NOT want to be the object of Spencer's wrath. I have a feeling Spencer's patronus could be a bloodhound, don't you? I might just put that in a later chapter, so thank you for that idea!  
AvrilRP212: TALK ABOUT DEDICATED! You literally just reviewed all 33 chapters in one sitting. How... I can't even... just WOW. Thank you so much! The fact that someone is willing to do that for MY writing? It blows my mind. I'm so happy you're enjoying this story. Many more exciting twists to come!  
Bagilia: I just can't win with you, can I? NO, I wasn't implying that, I was just implying that you quickly bounced back from disappointment to jump at my throat! And YES I'M A DIEHARD SPARIA SHIPPER SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL SINCE THEY WILL BE A PART OF THIS STORY SINCE I'M WRITING IT AND WHAT I SAY GOES! I don't understand what you have against them, haha. And yes, this chapter will be Spencer-centric, so obviously you will be in for a RIDE!  
PrettyWitchyVamp: When Spencer's mamabear-ness comes out, it's a good day for everyone, haha. And oh man, that was the first thing that went through my mind when I found out Ezra was A. "SPENCER BETTER BE COMFORTING THE SHIT OUT OF ARIA WHEN THIS HAPPENS!" Hahaha. I'm actually (okay, I guess I'll let the cat out of the bag) planning out a fic where Aria finds out Ezra is A, but I don't know when I'll write it/publish it. For that I'll need TIME, which I have none of, lol.  
BlackBaby: WOW, thank you so much! You have no clue how much that means to me, you are MARVELOUS! I can't believe you read the whole thing in a day! My readers are so dedicated! And I love Caleb, too, and his relationship with the other girls. It's really something special XD And no worries, you will be seeing a LOT more of Caleb in here, dating Hanna or not dating her ;)  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Thanks! I had a lot of fun with this past chapter because of that haha. They're all married, let's be real. And TEAM SPARIA BITCHES IS RIGHT! And Spencer will kick ass this chapter (but then again, when does she _not?_)**

**So I promised excitement last chapter, and you are gonna get it from here on out. Especially with this chapter, so ENJOY! Oh, and as always, since you're so good at it, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

* * *

Spencer tiptoed down the hall, confident that no one else was up, but still cautious incase she was proven wrong. She walked for several minutes at a steady pace, keeping a wary eye out for anything, or anyone, that could get her in trouble, but so far the coast was clear.

Finally, she came upon her destination: the girls' bathroom on the second floor, the carefully crafted spiderweb still intact in the corner of the doorframe. Taking a deep breath, Spencer tugged tightly on her wool blanket, bringing it closer around her frame, before entering.

"Myrtle?" she called softly. No answer.

"Myyyrrrttllleee," Spencer sang. "Come out come out wherever you are." Still no answer. Spencer sighed as she dropped her blanket to the ground. This might be harder than she originally thought.

Until...

"Please stop that. I'm a ghost, not a kitten."

Spencer smiled in satisfaction as she slowly turned around to face the wisp of a figure floating above her. Moaning Myrtle.

"You know something," Spencer accused right off the bat.

"Well, good evening to you, too," Myrtle scoffed.

"I'm serious! Someone came in here and opened the Chamber, and you saw who it was, didn't you?"

"Yes, that's correct," Myrtle said simply, as if that was all there was to it. Spencer could feel the irritation and anger swelling up inside of her. Right now she _really_ wished Myrtle was still human so that she could wrap her hands around her neck.

"Well don't give me that look!" Myrtle said defensively.

"Look? I'll give you whatever look I want!" Spencer snapped. "You knew this entire time and you didn't say anything? _Who opened the Chamber_?"

"Sorry!" Myrtle gave a less than halfhearted shrug. "I've been sworn to secrecy. I'm not telling a soul!"

"Why not?"

"_Because_, as long as I keep my word, she's going to help me get back at Peeves!" Myrtle explained cheerfully, before her expression dropped. "Although she hasn't been true to her word quite yet. I've been waiting 2 whole months, and Peeves has used that time to come up with even _more_ mean things to say about me! Why, if I weren't already dead I would've - "

"Wait." Spencer wasn't listening to the context of what Myrtle was saying at all. One word that kept popping up caught her attention. "She? Her? _It's a girl_?"

Myrtle froze, looking caught. "Maybe," she said evasively, trying to throw Spencer off. But Spencer was far too smart for that.

The opener of the Chamber of Secrets, and the person behind their constant torture, was a girl.

"Myrtle." Spencer took a shaky step forward. "You have to tell me more. I need to know as much as I can. My friends are in danger; I need to keep them safe."

"Don't you care about _my_ safety?" Myrtle asked, not bothering to hide how offended she was. "Why, she would simply _kill_ me if I told anyone."

At this, Spencer hesitated. "Myrtle, you're..."

"Right, I just remembered." She then hung her head in shame. "You forget sometimes, but then when you're sucked back into the reality of it all - "

"Where's the opening to the Chamber?" Spencer interrupted hastily. Myrtle's breath caught in her throat, shocked at Spencer's audacity, but then she rolled her bug eyes as she pointed over to the sinks over by the entrance.

"It's the snake-engraved one," she said as Spencer made her way over to it. "Knock yourself out, but you won't find _anything_ there that will help you."

Spencer kneeled down by the sink, running her fingers along the bronze engravings of the snakes twisting around each other on the tap. Myrtle was right; as far as she could see, there was nothing in front of her of actual substance. There was nothing that could help her.

"How do you open this thing anyway?" Spencer asked, her fingers still lingering on the tail of the serpent.

"You can't," Myrtle said simply. "You need to know Parseltongue."

"Oh please." Spencer rolled her eyes. "There's gotta be an easier way."

"Sorry, but that's the only way!" Myrtle howled as she started to retire back to her bathroom stall. "Do you really think Salazar Slytherin would've created a _shortcut_?"

"Well he sure knew how to make things inconvenient," Spencer muttered. She then turned back to the snakes on the tap, staring at them intently, as though if she stared at them long enough, they would slither apart.

"I really don't think you're going to get anywhere by just staring at it with your crazy eyes," Myrtle said snarkily in the background.

When she heard this, Spencer immediately shot off of the ground and whipped around. "They're not _that_ crazy."

"Crazy enough," Myrtle argued, coming out slightly from behind the stall. Spencer just gave her a hard, threatening look before shooing off Myrtle and turning back to the sink tap.

"I mean, this is ridiculous!" she finally said with frustration. "What are you even supposed to say in _Parseltongue_ to a pattern of snakes carved into an abandoned sink tap? _Open sesame_? Surely you can say the same thing in - "

But Spencer didn't have a chance to finish her sentence, because she was interrupted by the rumbling of the earth. Or at least it felt like the rumbling of the earth; it was really the sink tap, quaking slightly, but it stopped just as soon as it had started. Spencer stared at the snakes, wondering what had just happened. But it sparked activity in her brain, and she wanted to try something.

"_Open_."

At her command, the stone snakes slithered in different directions, carefully weaving their way out of the center, out of the frame. Before Spencer now was a tunnel; one that she had never seen before.

"Well well," Myrtle said from behind, "looks like we have a full-blooded Parselmouth on our hands."

"What?" Spencer whipped around, feeling her face drain of color. "I wasn't speaking Parseltongue, I just told it to open up!"

"Yes, _in Parseltongue_," Myrtle said bluntly. "And don't act so foolish. Aren't you the one who wanted it to open just a few seconds ago?"

"Well, yes, but..." Truthfully Spencer didn't know why she was so conflicted. Yes she wanted it to open, but now that it _was_...

Without another word, Spencer swooped down to get her blanket and ran off. She completely forgot that it was the middle of the night and that she was supposed to be quiet. She just dashed down the hall until she couldn't run any further; when she couldn't, she leaned against the wall, desperately trying to catch her breath.

She had just opened the Chamber of Secrets. And she hadn't even used a shortcut; she had opened it in the way that was _intended_. Did that mean...

"Am I the Heir of Slytherin?" she whispered fearfully to herself.

* * *

**Well, I warned you, didn't I?**

**So Spencer ended up gathering ****_some_**** information from Myrtle, and while some of it was useful, like the fact that we now know A is a GIRL, the other part was nothing short of traumatizing. Is Spencer really the Heir of Slytherin? And anybody catch a reference? SOUND OFF IN THE REVIEWS!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Seriously, as time goes on, you guys just leave more reviews that get better and better and BETTER. Y'all are insane, and I absolutely adore it.**

**The reference last chapter was the whole "Crazy Eyes" conversation from 4x05 between Spencer and the "Hufflepuff" nerd. Congrats to Guest, Sarah, Ava B, Sgdp1261, and erica for guessing correctly! Now for your lovely reviews:**

**Guest: 4x05, actually, but you had the right idea!  
AL3110: Wow, ALL of it? So I take it you liked it? ;) haha, get some sleep, though, but I'm so happy you're reading this story! I apologize for the heartbreak, though.  
Sarah: Troian's eyes are gorgeous! And yes, it literally could be anyone. And you can rule out Alison, because she is not part of this story. In fact, as a wonderful reviewer pointed out, the Basilisk is a representation of Alison, basically. It is dead, but the girls keep receiving fangs, and they are confused. Much like how they receive texts from Alison even though she is dead! And you never know! Throughout the rest of the story, Spencer's eyes really start to open up to more and more things, and she becomes more and more afraid that she could be a part of it all. Whether she is or isn't, that's for you to find out ;)  
Ava B: Chills? Are you serious?! Wow, I literally can't believe that. Well then, I'll give you another teaser: if THAT gave you chills, there's a chapter near the end of this story that'll give you even BIGGER chills, and I only say that because I got goosebumps writing it. So creepy. SO stay tuned ;) And haha, I WOULD screw school, but I'm a junior so that's never happening. I'll find a way to write it, though!  
Brittana4ever: Well, I didn't use that website, BUT I did finally upload a cover photo that I edited myself :) Hopefully you like it, and thank you for the suggestions!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Well, it is entirely possible. How do you know Spencer's not being possessed/doesn't have a split personality? There are endless possibilities, and anything can happen. At this point, it is more than possible that Spencer could be the Heir, so keep that in the back of your mind.  
Silver-Infinite: That is a possibility! You'll have to see :)  
TotalCowGirl: She is! And well, now you get to since another new chapter is coming your way!  
Forever Courage: Well, you never know! I'd just keep it in the back of your mind, because it is certainly going to be in the back of Spencer's! And very true! Someone could be using a polyjuice potion. With these two worlds combined, there really ARE just an endless amount of possibilities!  
BlackBaby: Yay! Can't wait for you to become a regular! And you will see how the recent events connect to who A is. Once you find out, you're going to smack yourself on the side of the head, it's going to be so obvious. And Caleb makes a small appearance this chapter, and he'll have a chapter all to himself coming up!  
Spobyistruelove: I love protective Spencer as well. It's my favorite side of her XD And it's totally possible for Spencer to be the Heir, so I'd keep it in mind! And yes, the Heir is a girl... or is it? The possibilities are endless with this story.  
elggup: Well, it's a good guess to think that she might not be the Heir, but it's equally of good of a guess to think that she is. As the story goes on, you'll see how the puzzle pieces really start to fit toward her being it. And that could be why Scorpius is petrified! There is a reason why, and as of now you do not know that reason... but you'll find out ;)  
erica: Yep! You got it!  
audryadn: I'm a fan of hannily, so you'll definitely see more of them! :) Thanks for reading!  
Sgdp1261: Well you better start believing it, because it is officially a possibility that she could be. And you'll see where the upcoming events and chapters will lead us! Lots of exciting things coming up, and as much as I want to tell you all of them, you simply have to wait! It's way better if it's a surprise :) And HAHA, that was a good joke! Thanks again for your awesome reviews XD  
Bagilia: Oh Spencer, that ball of crazy. And well seeing as I write this story it is very much acceptable for me to do such a thing :) if you're not enjoying the story feel free to leave! XD And good guess, but Ali is not a part of this story unfortunately. I couldn't fit her in :/ And Myrtle is so much fun to write for, I'm not gonna lie. She's just so... MYRTLE! Anyway, thanks for your fabulous reviews. I can't tell you how much I look forward to them in a day :D  
hufflepuffhaleb: A lot. A lot just happened. Haha, and well that could be true, but as of right now Spencer is a suspect. And yeah, we are alike in that sense! And yes, I did do my friend's math homework :/ #NerdPride And no worries I will DEFINITELY keep writing!  
Ayoungnovelist: You never know, she could have! You'll have to keep reading to find out :)  
AvrilRP212: Pssh, I NEVER kid! If you looked up melodramatic in the dictionary, you would find Myrtle's name next to it, which is PRECISELY why she's so much fun to write for :D And I can't wait FOR you to read more!**

**NEW CHAPTER YAY! Alright, there is another time-lapse this chapter, from October to January, as indicated by the date at the top. I sincerely hope you all enjoy this next chapter, and don't forget to review!**

* * *

**January 7th**

It was just after the holidays had finished, and everyone had returned to school by now; back to the grind of turning in papers and studying for tests and scrambling to finish a homework assignment the night before it's due in whatever common room you resided from. The air in the school was naturally more chilled than it was earlier in the year, and Hanna had to tug on her new beanie that she got for Christmas so that it covered her ears, keeping them warm, as she stirred her hot chocolate.

She had had a pretty good holiday; she went home to her mother, embraced whatever scolding she could about her current grades, and then had a great Christmas and New Year with her. She had gotten her mother a new set of wine glasses from a secluded shop at Hogsmeade (of which she had to sneak back into school, a task she found near impossible), and her mother had gotten her the hat she was currently wearing. It was a fine Christmas, indeed.

But now that they were back in school, Hanna had to go back to seeing Caleb again, something she was not happy about. As she glanced over to the Ravenclaw table, she saw him talking secretly with someone, and she could just barely spot the kid hand him a bag of coins. Hanna rolled her eyes. Caleb _knew_ how much she hated him doing business; she was always scared that he would get caught. But now that he was a free man, he could do whatever he wanted. Hanna also took note, with distaste, of Caleb's new haircut, when he knew that she always loved his luscious long locks.

_I have to stop thinking like this_, she thought bitterly as she took a huge gulp of hot chocolate, trying to ignore the new welts on her tongue from the way she had just burnt it. _He's single, I'm single, and we need to let each other do what we want._

Especially with how they had broken up.

"You okay?"

Hanna jumped, broken out of her thoughts, but then relaxed once she saw who it was. "Jeez, you scared me, Ar."

"Sorry," Aria said sheepishly as she slid into the seat next to Hanna, a plate with what looked like a vegetarian omelet on it in her hands. "You just looked lonely, and you had this blank expression on your face."

"Oh, sorry," Hanna said apologetically. "Just thinking about..."

She looked over to the Ravenclaw table, where Caleb was now happily enjoying his breakfast, not a care in the world. Hanna couldn't help but think that he was better off without her and her drama. At least one of them should have relatively stable blood pressure.

Aria followed Hanna's gaze, and then sighed. "I'm sorry, Han," she said sincerely as she rubbed circles on Hanna's back. "But maybe it's for the best! It's been a couple months, don't you think it's time to move on?"

"Are _you_ ready to move on from Ezra?" Hanna snapped, staring pointedly at Aria now.

Aria hesitated, but then her shoulders slumped, signifying her answer. "Yeah, forget I said that," she said as she reached for her fork, dug it into her omelet, and took a large bite, frowning at no one in particular as she chewed.

A large, snowy owl flew up through the air, circling a few times, before landing at the Hufflepuff table right in front of Aria and Hanna.

"Barney!" Hanna squealed, reaching forward to scratch behind the owl's little ears. Aria smiled as she did the same, and Hanna reached for Barney's claws, grasping whatever was encased in them. "What's he got here?"

"Probably another letter from my parents," Aria said, and Hanna detected a hint of sadness in her voice, one that shouldn't be associated with family.

But suddenly she understood. "Did you not tell them about Mike?" Hanna asked, her eyes bulging.

"What? Of _course_ I did!" Aria said. "They already knew, anyway. McGonagall contacted them."

"Then why are you so glum?"

"Because..." Aria then bowed her head. "Whenever we write to each other, we try to avoid talking about that. And it's like... We're all holding back on something, and I don't feel right about that. You should've been there for the holidays..."

"That must've been awkward," Hanna agreed, and Aria nodded her head.

"We all _know_ that there's an empty void in our family where he should be," Aria explained, "but none of us want to say anything, and... it's just killing me! I don't know how much of this I can take!"

By the end of her rant, Aria was crazed. She looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. Hanna gave Aria's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "It's okay," she whispered soothingly as Aria put her head in her hands. Mike _still_ hadn't woken up, as well as Scorpius and Maya, and now Aria had one less person to seek for comfort about it all since she and Ezra were broken up. In the meantime, neither of them knew who had opened the Chamber, given the girls the fangs, stopped Emily from getting Seeker in Quidditch, and broke up all of their relationships. It was safe to say that they were all pretty close to reaching their breaking points.

"Whatever," she finally said, raising her head from her hands and willing herself to shake it all off. "Can I see the letter?"

Hanna reached for the letter, but then froze. She picked it up, and then examined it more closely. "It's not a letter."

"What?" Aria reached for the paper in Hanna's hand. "Let me see."

She unrolled the parchment, and then found that it wasn't parchment after all. Hanna narrowed her eyes, leaning in to get a better look. "I didn't know you were subscribed to _The Daily Prophet._"

Aria read a few words on the page, and then lowered it to look back at Hanna. "I'm not..."

* * *

"C'mon, it can't be _that_ bad," Spencer said, trying to be reassuring as she walked alongside Emily to breakfast.

"Oh it is," Emily said glumly. "We had our first Quidditch practice since break yesterday, and it was _so_ awkward!"

"How so?"

Emily just rolled her eyes. "Well, _first_ I had to deal with Lily freakin' Potter and everyone fawning over her because she got the new Supernova broom for Christmas, and to make matters worse I was basically all by myself. Paige didn't say a word to me!"

"She's still mad?"

"_So_ mad!" Emily huffed in irritation. "You'd think the holidays would give her some time to cool off, but _NO!_ But I guess it's my own fault; I just _had_ to cry my eyes out over Maya - "

"Don't you dare feel bad about that," Spencer said warningly. Emily lowered her head in shame. "I really shouldn't, should I?"

"Of course not!" Spencer said warmly. "Have you gone to visit her at all since we've gotten back?"

"No, not yet," Emily said with a sigh. "Besides, I bet Madam Pomfrey has gotten sick of me by now."

"Madam Pomfrey sees this kind of stuff all the time," Spencer reasoned. "You and Aria should go to the Hospital Wing later."

"Yeah, maybe," Emily said, cheering up slightly. She then looked across the hall, spotting Aria and Hanna at the Hufflepuff table. It looked like they were in a heated conversation. Emily pointed this out to Spencer, and the two of them made a beeline over to where they were sitting.

"What's going on...?" Spencer asked tentatively. Aria looked up from the newspaper she was reading, her complexion even paler than usual.

"There's an article in here about you."

* * *

**Side Note: So looks like Rita Skeeter finally came out with her much anticipated article. I WONDER WHAT SHE SAID! And it seems like all of the girls are close to reaching their breaking points, but knowing the OT4 they are gonna stick together through it all. Coming up, you're gonna see more scenes with just the girls, more scenes with the spouses (though not always with their significant others), AND just to give you a little teaser from the next chapter...**

**_"Now, of course it seems like we're pinning this on an easy target; someone at the school that the Ministry is familiar with to make it all the more juicy. But I'm sure you're suspicions will flip in our favor once you hear what we're about to tell you."_**

**As always, make sure you leave a review for this chapter, AS WELL as favorite/follow if you haven't already. You guys are the best, I really love all of you and look forward to your reviews so much. Keep it up!**


	36. Chapter 36

**I can't tell you guys how happy it makes me to update a chapter and read all of your FABULOUS reviews. Like right now, I'm just replying to you guys while cooking pasta and playing ****_Gorilla_**** by Bruno Mars in the background. Get rid of the fact that I have a shitload of English homework that needs to be done, and it's a pretty freakin' perfect night.**

**That was irrelevant, but screw it. ANYWAY, reviews:**

**hufflepuffhaleb: You're gonna see this chapter what she wrote ;) AND you're gonna get a Caleb-centric chapter COMING UP NEXT! Hopefully I can upload it tomorrow. And as for Caleb's haircut, think 2B/4A. Aka HOT. Then again, he's Caleb, so of course he's gonna be hot, but ya know. And yes I've written the rest of the story, but no there's not gonna be a sequel :( chin up, though, you've still got around 20 chapters left of this one!  
TotalCowGirl: I love Hanna/Aria as well! They have such a cute friendship :) and you'll find out THIS CHAPTER!  
Forever Courage: She really is, isn't she? But that's what makes her so fun to write for :)  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: All of the girls are going through a lot unfortunately. It sucks, but that's the cost you have to pay for being a Liar! Well then, looks like Rita Skeeter better watch her back :/  
Sarah: Haha, I was HOPING someone would catch that! Classic Ashley, filling up on the wine. And haha, she was! I just got a review from her and she is not a happy camper. OH WELL! And oh man, how did I not notice that?! "You're Lily Freakin' Potter!" Perfection. And well, Caleb's is gonna be something, I'll tell you that. I can tell you you'll see more of his friendship with Aria, if that gets you excited :D  
Guest: Thank you so much!  
Titanium Wolf: I think you'll end up liking/hating what she has to say ;) and I will! And no worries, I don't mind if you miss a chapter. You guys have been so wonderful it'd be horrid if I were to get mad over something small like that.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Your intro was FABULOUS, OMG. I've never laughed so hard in my life. And ooh, that's an interesting theory! Haven't gotten that before. Unfortunately, I can't tell you whether you're right or wrong because I want it to be a complete surprise, meaning you should be suspecting EVERYONE! Absolutely NO narrowing anything down. And haha, but I think I'm used to the angry fangirls by now! I'd need about 6 hands to count all of the death threats I've received (all from Bagilia, but it's fine because I love her XD) so there's that :P and ooh, you'll be seeing even MORE of Rita Skeeter, besides just her writing! You'll just have to keep reading to find out ;) thanks for your reviews as always!  
Ava B: Ugh, junior year is unbelievably obnoxious, haha, but I'm surviving... kinda. I like their friendship too! Thanks again for your kind words :)  
Brittana4ever: Yeah, I'm glad I did too!  
AL3110: Wow, that's so impressive. Props to you!  
Bagilia: Aww, thank you! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me! ;D Haha, I liked the name Barney, too, which is why I used it! And I'm glad you're hooked, because my life would feel so empty if I lost you as a reviewer. And indeed, I did ;) Sarah above SAID you'd be mad, but no worries. He still looks HOT. It's his 2B/4A haircut, aka his best look in my opinion. And haha, yet! But there are so many other possibilities, so keep your eyes open!  
Sgdp1261: Poor Mikey :( and yeah, everyone is really down, but this chapter kinda picks up the pace a little! Rita Skeeter has that effect on the wizarding world ;)**

**Okay, NEW CHAPTER TIME! Hopefully you enjoy, AND don't forget to review review REVIEW!**

* * *

After_ visiting Hogwarts, the well attended school for witches and wizards in training, and investigating a little further on the matter of the Chamber of Secrets being opened once again, we've narrowed down who we think could be behind it to one suspect, and one that sparks our interests particularly: Spencer Hastings, a seventh year at the school who is familiar with the work of the Ministry, and is most likely familiar with the intricacies of dark magic. Many of the Ministry executives know her from her internship working for Kingsley Shacklebolt during the summer; perhaps she has been sifting through files on her way to getting Kingsley Shacklebolt his morning coffee?_

_"I like that Hastings girl, I do," Shacklebolt said when we talked to him. "She's smart, and I realized this immediately. But I suppose it could be that she's _too_ smart..."_

* * *

"Asshole," Spencer muttered as her eyes grazed over the page, reading each line carefully as her eyes increased in size.

"Shh!" Aria pressed her finger up to her lips. "Just keep reading."

* * *

_Now, of course it seems like we're pinning this on an easy target; someone at the school that the Ministry is familiar with to make it all the more juicy. But I'm sure you're suspicions will flip in our favor once you hear what we're about to tell you._

_When we first got word of Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of the school, calling in a search team to clue in on the Chamber, we set to work on getting the scoop for all of you, checking in to see if dark magic really has returned, and if it has, who has brought it back to the wizarding world. And further along into our visit, we came across a _rift_ in the school's Great Hall._

_In the corner of the room, Hastings was spotted shouting at another girl, of which sources claim to be Mona Vanderwaal, year seven Ravenclaw. She was shouting accusations at Vanderwaal, claiming that it was _she_ who opened up the Chamber, only to leave the girl looking lost, confused, and a little scared._

* * *

"Is that a _picture_ of me yelling at Mona?" Spencer squealed in shock as she looked down at the moving picture of her and Mona, nearly an inch away from each other's faces as Spencer screamed into Mona's, in the bottom right corner of the page.

Aria looked closer into the frame, and then gasped. "Is that... did they get me _pulling you away?_"

They had. A few short seconds later, there was a flash of a tiny hand grabbing Spencer's arm, and then a wave of black hair as Aria pulled Spencer fully out of the frame.

"You both don't look bad considering," Hanna said optimistically, shrugging her shoulders for effect.

"_Guys,_" Emily said sternly. "Keep reading."

* * *

_After Hastings had fled the scene, we did some investigating of our own, and found that the girl had been doing research. This isn't your typical research for a school project or for a homework assignment for your next Potions class. No, she was doing research on the Chamber itself. Over near Hastings's seat at her dining table - Slytherin, note - was a stack of books, all on the Chamber. We don't know where she got them from, but she's clearly looking for something in those books; perhaps a way to speed up the process? A way to use the Chamber to take down _everyone?

* * *

"That bitch is the one who took my books!" Spencer exclaimed, referring to Rita Skeeter, who had written the article.

"_Ezra's_ books," Aria corrected, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"I'm sorry, okay? If he's so upset, tell him to go write in his journal about it."

"Please, I'm sure he's done that already," Hanna joked.

"Quit making fun of Ezra and keep reading, guys!" Emily said exasperatedly, trying to draw attention away from the girls making fun of Ezra's propensity toward femininity, especially since they did this countless times before and it was never received well. It was also only a matter of time before smoke started coming out of Aria's ears, and Emily knew that it wasn't a pretty sight.

* * *

_Now, after closing in on several sources throughout the school, we shortly found out that Spencer Hastings is close friends with three other girls in the school; Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, and Aria Montgomery. Now, Montgomery and Fields are loved ones of two of the three students held in the Infirmary after being victimized by the unknown powers of the Chamber. That could either prove Hastings's innocence, or it could prove that she's not above sacrificing one of her own to take down the wizarding world. And this conversation we had with two of her friends seems to prove the latter. When we caught up with Marin and Fields -_

* * *

Spencer's jaw dropped, and she turned accusingly toward Emily and Hanna. "You two were interviewed by _Rita Skeeter_ and you didn't even think to tell me?"

Emily bit her bottom lip in remorse. "Umm... guess we forgot?"

"Wow, took her long enough to get the article published," Hanna muttered bitterly. "She interviewed us on Halloween! Do you know how long ago that was?"

"_Reading!_" Aria reminded sternly, turning back to the page.

* * *

_When we caught up with Marin and Fields, they were surprisingly guarded, almost as though they were _hiding_ something._

_"Spencer is our best friend," Marin kept saying, a little too cheerfully. "We'd do anything for her! And she definitely isn't responsible for opening up the Chamber of Secrets. No siree!"_

* * *

"Okay, even _I_ know that's a dumb thing to say!" Hanna nearly shouted.

"... Then why'd you say it?" Aria asked bluntly, only to earn a glare from Hanna.

"I _didn't_ say it," she spat. "She made it up! This entire article is a lie!"

"Okay, let's just calm down," Emily said mellowly. "Maybe it gets better!"

* * *

_With the way Marin and Fields continued to cross their ankles and fidget with their hands, it was made perfectly clear that they know something. They are most likely aware of their friend's actions, but are not saying anything out of love and protection for her._

_We did not get a chance to interview Hastings directly, and it's probably best that we hadn't given her tendency toward hostility, but facts are facts, and they are _not_ in Miss Hastings's favor. Now, ever since the last Chamber opening, and ever since the defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the staff of Hogwarts has been pretty hush-hush about the grim events of the past in order to shield their students from them; they want their students to feel like Hogwarts, and the wizarding world itself, is a _safe_ environment. But with the kind of exposure Hastings has had, working in the offices at the Ministry, and if she has indeed been sneaking into old files and discovering old secrets, perhaps she, for whatever reason, wanted to _revive _the dark magic that had dissipated so long ago. Perhaps you really can have too much of a good thing, and get bored with it._

_Perhaps Spencer Hastings is willing to shake things up._

* * *

"... Okay, so that did _not_ get better," Emily breathed mournfully.

"Wow, they don't call her 'enchantingly nasty' for nothing," Aria muttered.

"I can't read anymore of that," Spencer said exasperatedly as she flung the paper back down on the table. The other girls exchanged uneasy glances before turning back to Spencer, who was sitting at the table, positively mortified as she held her head in her hands.

Emily rubbed Spencer's back. "Spence, you don't think people will actually believe that, do you?"

"Rita Skeeter has a reputation for making stuff up," Aria pointed out comfortingly.

"Yeah, so no one is gonna believe this load of bullcrap she's springing on us," Hanna said soothingly.

Spencer just kept her head firmly held in her hands, taking deep breaths. She appreciated her friends' efforts in comforting her, and maybe no one would believe it. That wasn't why she was upset.

She was upset because Rita did a damn good job at convincing Spencer that she _did_ open the Chamber.

The Parseltongue, the dream she had, it was all coming together. But why wouldn't she be able to remember something like that?

Spencer finally looked up from her hands, and looked over to the Ravenclaw table, where Mona was sitting; where Mona was _staring_ at her. Spencer groaned, guessing she had read the article.

"Well, now I know where I got this from," Aria said bitterly, holding up the paper to see a bright red 'A', written in the right hand corner of the page.

"Wait, 'A' sent that to us?" Spencer asked, suddenly attentive. The girls had restricted themselves to just calling the person behind this 'A', since that was the initial that started it all. "That means they must've given it to Barney, right?"

"I don't think Barney is going to answer any of our prying questions about our torturer, Spence," Aria said, a tad warningly, as she cut off a piece of her omelet and fed it to the snowy owl, stroking his feathers protectively as she did so.

Spencer slumped in her seat. "I guess not," she said defeatedly. "But someone has to have answers. Guys, I'm freaking out here, I don't want to deal with this anymore."

"It'll be okay - "

"No it won't!" Spencer snapped. Emily, who had tried reassuring her, pulled back in hurt. Spencer was breathing heavily, and nearly on the verge of tears. Finally, she muttered that she needed some fresh air as she got up from the table, not even bothering to look back at the girls, or the looks on their faces.

She was nearly halfway out of the hall when someone stopped her.

"Can we talk?" Toby said abruptly, his blue eyes shining with confusion and, if she looked closely enough, guilt.

Spencer, for a moment, felt like telling him to screw off. Toby had left her while she was going through a rough time, and now he wanted to come crawling back? But looking into his concerned - and albeit gorgeous - eyes, she realized how much she missed him, and how much she needed him right now. She nodded her head, her chin quivering as she willed herself not to cry, and Toby led her out into the hall.

"What is this about?" Spencer croaked out as she stood across from Toby, who was leaning against the brick wall, surveying her intently.

He waited a minute before speaking. "How are you?"

Spencer arched her eyebrows upward. Really? _That_ was what he pulled her out to say? Toby sensed her confusion, so he bowed his head. "I read that article."

"Oh." Spencer pursed her lips into a perfect circle. "And what did you think about it?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. Spencer puffed her cheeks full of air before releasing the air slowly. That wasn't exactly the answer she had wanted.

But he held his hands up to reassure her. "I know it's not true though; you wouldn't hurt anyone like that."

"Well can you tell everyone else that?" Spencer pleaded. "That bitch really gave it to me. I don't even wanna _think_ about my parents seeing it - "

"If anyone sides with Rita Skeeter, I'll personally kick their ass," Toby promised, and the seriousness to his tone made a small giggle escape Spencer's lips. He, too, couldn't help but crack a small smile.

But the giggles soon stopped, and the awkwardness returned. It was the first time the pair had talked in months, and they weren't quite as comfortable with each other as they should have been. Toby slipped his hands into the pockets of his robes. "Well I should get back in there. Jenna's waiting for me."

This made Spencer's breath catch in her throat. "Wait, _Jenna?_"

Toby hesitated, but then nodded his head. Spencer couldn't believe it; after all this time, after everything Jenna had put him through, Toby was going back to her. Had Spencer really screwed him up so much that he was willing to do such a thing?

When Spencer didn't say anything else, Toby took this as his cue to leave. But before he could, Spencer found her voice again.

"Toby, wait!"

He turned back around to face her, an expectant look on his face. Spencer gulped loudly. "I miss you."

At hearing Spencer like this, Toby was close to cracking; that much was clear by the way his features softened. But they hardened just as fast as he spun on his heel and went back into the Great Hall without another word to Spencer.

He wasn't ready to go down that road again. Not yet, anyway.

* * *

**Side Note: Poor Spoby babies :( and WOW, Rita Skeeter. That marvelous bitch. She basically just ruined Spencer's entire year/life, but it's whatever, right? Anyway, if you liked this chapter, tell me in the reviews! And, I wanna see if anyone (specifically Sarah because I know she reads AfterEllen) caught a reference. HINT: it's in regards to Ezra, and it's a HUGE theme on the AfterEllen website. If you don't read the site, don't worry about it, but if you DO, I'm counting on you right now!**


	37. Chapter 37

**I am SO SORRY that I am late! FanFiction was down on Friday, so I couldn't update as soon as I got home like I am usually able to, and THEN on Saturday I was BOOKED the actual entire day. It was hellacious. BUT I'm here now with a new chapter, which you all deserve for being so fabulous in your reviews.**

**Leading on from that, I just want to say thank you to you all again. You have made this story what it is today with your constant reviews, and I really cannot thank all of you enough. Your reviews brighten my day. They really do.**

**And SPEAKING of your reviews...**

**AL3110: Yep, Jenna ;) who knows? Maybe he's keeping a close eye on her... and Rita most definitely is a bitch. That's why we love her though :)  
hufflepuffhaleb: SO HOT, right? And yes, Rita did, but does she care? My guess is no. Thanks for the review!  
Ava B: Brownie point to you for picking up on that! Haha, the opportunity was just RIGHT THERE, I had to take it.  
Sarah: Hahahahah YES! It was an opportunity I could not pass up ;) and yes, I simply must. And let's see, until Paige? Several chapters, so you've got some time. And Paige is always wearing a les-tastic belt, so that is certainly implied. YAY! Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the review as always!  
Forever Courage: Toby loves Spencer, of COURSE he's gonna be protective of her! Thanks for your review! :)  
Titanium Wolf: Thanks!  
TotalCowGirl: Actually, I was unaware of Rita's bitchiness ;) thanks for the review!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Your Spoby babies are alive and well, calm down haha. And Rita will do that, but hey, at least with the smoke coming out of your ears you can join Aria! ;)  
AvrilRP212: Rita really is something, that's for sure. Next chapter you're actually gonna see her in the flesh again! :D Thanks for your reviews :)  
PrettyWitchyVamp: Can we just talk about how your intro is like 10x longer than your actual review? I love it. Speaking of which, STORY TIME! Your reviews usually arrive in my email with a note at the bottom saying "This message has been truncated due to length. To view in full, please visit site." So that happened this time since it stopped at the intro, so I went to the site, AND IT WASN'T THERE! Stupid FanFiction and their glitches. But then the next morning I found it, so I was quite pleased. BUT I WAS SO SCARED! The suspense was killing me. ANYWAY, I agree with that Ezria rant. The writers legitimately hate us. It is far from okay. Your theory is also valid. As for your review, don't be ridiculous! I LOVE my readers! XD Would you prefer boring fluff over an emotional roller coaster ride? No. Not in a crossover with Harry Potter. That simply cannot happen.  
Bagilia: Well, we Slytherins are VERY relatable, so of course she gets you XD and haha you have said nicer things, I'll give you that. And there might be a Haleb moment ;) he talks about her, I'll say that. And that wasn't supposed to be a Spanna moment, it was a shoutout to AfterEllen, but whatever floats your boat. And wow... you legitimately remembered the theme song... I'm impressed/a little creeped out haha. ANYWAY, thanks for the fabulous review!  
Sgdp1261: A sneaky forktongued snake. Couldn't have said it better myself haha. And you caught that reference! It's one of my favorite jokes, but of course now that he's A I don't think it's gonna be a thing anymore :( RIP Ezbian.  
S. S. Ezria : Wow, thank you so much! Well talk about creative: I LOVE your username! Very appropriate hahaha. And as for Spencer's dream, you'll find out later on. It reveals something big :)**

**And now for the chapter you all have been waiting patiently for. Hold onto your hobo sacks and dishwater-soaked beanies, because heeerrreeeee comes Caleb!**

* * *

"So if you'll open your textbook to page 394," Professor Longbottom said, over at the front of the greenhouse, "you'll find instructions to care for the Fanged Geranium, and in a week you'll bring the plant back for inspection. Read carefully, because you never know... it could kill you."

Several students laughed, but the way Longbottom's brow was furrowed as he got to work distributing the plants indicated to Caleb that he was very much serious. Caleb sighed as he wrote down his homework assignment. He liked Herbology. If he didn't, he wouldn't have taken the class at a N.E.W.T. level. But he'd been way too scatterbrained lately to take care of a plant. He hadn't told any of the girls this (mainly because he was avoiding any type of contact with either of them; they were so tightly knit that he was surprised none of them had come up and slapped him for breaking up with Hanna), but he had gone on his own search for answers. Granted, he hadn't been very successful given what little he knew, but he would work with what he had if it meant protecting Hanna. Just because they were broken up didn't mean they weren't very much together; it just meant they could only be together in his heart.

Once class ended, and mostly everyone had exited the greenhouse, Caleb decided it was time to make his move. Once he had put all of his things away, and had secured his Geranium plant in his arms so that he didn't drop it, he walked up to the front of the greenhouse, where Professor Longbottom was staring intently at a mushroom. Confused, but altogether assuming it wasn't that important, Caleb went up to him. "Professor?"

Longbottom looked up, and then smiled warmly. "Mr. Rivers! Question about the homework?"

"Actually, no," Caleb said. "It's about something else."

"Oh?"

"Professor..." Caleb licked his lips, wondering how to word this without striking a nerve. No one had ever seen Professor Longbottom angry, yet no one really wanted to find out what that looked like either. "I wanted to ask you about the Chamber of Secrets."

Professor Longbottom's face hardened, contorting into an emotion Caleb couldn't pinpoint. But he didn't say anything, so Caleb kept going. "I'm just a little concerned. People keep dropping, and no one can really _do_ anything about it. But I heard that you were around for the last time the Chamber was opened, and - "

"Are you asking me if I know who _did it_, Mr. Rivers?" Longbottom asked harshly. "Because I don't."

"No, I wasn't asking that at all, Professor," Caleb reassured. "But... if you had a _guess_ - "

"None of my guesses would make sense," Longbottom said, his tone softening, but still containing a hint of hostility. "They all have to do with the Basilisk, and that thing is _gone_."

He then slammed his briefcase in front of him closed, then yelped when he realized he had accidentally closed it on his thumb. As Longbottom whimpered, sucking on his thumb to reduce the pain, Caleb kept talking. "But do you know what other... _beast_ could be the cause of this? Is there any other animal that could have - "

"I'm an Herbology professor, Mr. Rivers," Longbottom stated, taking his thumb out of his mouth. "If you have questions on magical beasts, I suggest to you talk to Hagrid. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my plants for the next class from the greenhouse next door."

"But Professor - "

"_Caleb_," Longbottom said finally, and Caleb found himself wincing. Professors rarely ever called their students by their first names. Realizing his mistake, Longbottom's eyes widened, but then his posture straightened and his face contorted to one of composure. "Enough is enough. Enjoy the rest of your day."

With that, Longbottom paced out of the classroom, nearly knocking over a startled Aria as he darted through the door. Aria stepped to the side, greatly shocked. But that was nothing compared to the shock on her face when she saw Caleb in the center of the greenhouse.

The two might have shared a common room, but they had avoided each other's company ever since Halloween. But it didn't look like they could avoid each other now. Aria sighed, deciding she would have to be the one to initiate the conversation. "What are you doing here?"

"Just had this class," he said with a small shrug. "Why? Looking for an escape so you don't have to punch me?"

Aria just rolled her eyes. "I'm a little more mature than that," she said dryly.

"Yeah you're right, what was I thinking being afraid of _you_?"

"Hey, you should be _very_ afraid of me!" she snapped, suddenly offended. "I can be scary!"

"Please!" he teased. "I'll be afraid of _Spencer_ before I'm afraid of you!"

Aria opened her mouth to object, but then closed it, thinking about this. "I'd take offense, but Spencer _is_ freakishly strong."

Caleb laughed at this, but then there was silence, and it was far from comfortable. Caleb sighed and bowed his head. "How is she?"

"Spencer?"

"No." Caleb rolled his eyes. "_Hanna_."

"She's fine," Aria said vaguely, pulling the strap of her backpack further up her shoulder. "Heartbroken, but fine."

Caleb just sighed again. "Look, I never meant to hurt her - "

"Well you _did_," Aria spat.

"It's for the best, okay?" Caleb said desperately. "I want to be with her, but right now's not a good time. I still love her."

"Look, if you still love her, I don't understand why - "

But then she stopped talking, the cogs in her head working overtime to process what Caleb had just said. Caleb stared at her warily, wondering what he could have said to confuse her.

"Wait... what do you mean it's not a good time?" she said warily. Caleb clamped his mouth closed; it looked like he had said too much.

Aria paused, taking time to think about this, until she shot her eyes back up at Caleb. "Are you _sleuthing?_"

"Wow, _you caught me_," he said in mock defeat, throwing his hands up in surrender.

Aria just stared at him. "Do you realize what you're getting into?"

"Do _you_?" he pointed out, raising his index finger and poking it straight into her shoulder. "You four can barely tie your own shoelaces - "

"Well aren't you off to a great start," Aria said haughtily, smacking his finger away, but Caleb ran right over her.

"And as long as Hanna and I aren't together, and _you_ don't tell her what I'm doing, I can keep her safe."

"But what about that picture of her and Lucas?" Aria asked, still processing. "I thought that was the reason you broke up with her."

"Well, it was in a way," he admitted. "But when I got it, I just kept getting angrier and angrier, and I kept thinking about all these things happening around us that are pushing her to _do_ something like that - "

"Who gave that picture to you, though?" Aria interrupted.

Caleb placed a hand on the nearest table, scratching the top of his head. "I forget," he finally said. "Someone just slipped it into my hand when I wasn't paying attention, and then got away before I could get a good look."

Aria snapped her fingers in frustration. _So close._ Caleb watched her closely, wondering what could be going on that was causing the girls to stress so much. Had they received more fangs?

"I'm trying to pry information out of Longbottom," Caleb said, lowering his voice now as he saw more students enter the classroom, "but he's pretty hushed up about it."

"Do you think he knows something?" Aria asked curiously.

"I'll let you know when I figure out the difference between knowing something and just _generally_ being on edge," he said with a shrug. "Anyway, I have to get going."

As he walked past her, Aria called out to him. "Do you want me to tell Hanna you say hi?"

Caleb chewed on his lip, wondering what the best response to that should be. "No," he finally said, surprising Aria and himself, before walking out of the greenhouse and back into the castle.

* * *

**Side Note: Y'all better catch that Harry Potter reference like your life depends on it. Also, I threw in a FRIENDS reference, so see if you can find it! And it looks like our favorite hobo is on a search for answers. How touching. He fits in pretty well into the Scooby Gang, I'd say. He's probably the Velma that they're all missing since shit actually gets DONE when he's in the mix. But then again, the role of Velma might be fully reserved for Vanderjesus, ESPECIALLY in 4x08... my GOD was she fabulous in 4x08. Ugh, I'm obsessed with that girl, I just cannot. ANYWAY, if you liked that chapter, follow/favorite/sound off in the reviews. See y'all on the other side!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Literally, how are you all so incredibly wonderful? I'll never understand it. Just keep it up, because it's such a blast talking to you all. And SPEAKING of you all being wonderful, I have a proposition: hufflepuffhaleb brought up the idea of making a trailer on youtube for this, and I love that idea! The only problem is I don't have a clue how to do that... but if YOU do, make one for me! It'll be like a contest. Post the youtube links to your videos in the reviews (although put spaces inbetween so FanFiction doesn't remove them) and I'll decide which one is my favorite! And the one who is my favorite... well, I'll think up a cool prize :)**

** REFERENCES:**

**"I'd be offended but Monica ****_is_**** freakishly strong." FRIENDS, with Chandler saying this to Ross about moving the couch back in season 5, aka the best season of that show ever.  
"Turn to page 394." Snape. Snape. Severus Snape. ;)**

**REVIEW TIME:**

**Forever Courage: I was so upset when I heard about that, too! And to make matters worse, they made him PERFECT this season! Not fair :( thanks for the review!  
AL3110: Haha well maybe I'll add him in ;) glad you liked it!  
Ayoungnovelist: Yep, you caught it!  
Sarah: Well to be fair, I think Aria is gonna get SCARY this season now that Ezra is A, which I'm looking forward to. Lucy is gonna get to show off those acting chops of hers! And haha, I was laughing when I wrote that line (does that sound weird?) because it basically describes the entire show. Love the girls and all, but they are INCOMPETENT!  
hufflepuffhaleb: Wow, good for you! Well, I'd suggest writing it AFTER you complete your exams. I wrote this story toward the end of the school year during the summer, so I didn't have a lot going on. Unfortunately, school has to come first!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: I have a feeling you and Aria teaming up would be both hilarious and efficient, haha. And yes, it IS such a Caleb thing to do! #thatssocaleb He's so noble XD  
TotalCowGirl: We all would read it in Snape's voice haha. Thank you!  
UngluckLiehaber: Don't worry about not reviewing often! It makes it all the more special when you do :) and well I didn't intend on putting Hagrid in, but if I COULD fit him in that'd be pretty cool! And no one wants to be on the other side of Neville's wrath. The kid is a BAMF!  
BlackBaby: I'm a FRIENDS fanatic, too! All 10 seasons, baby. And thanks!  
S. S. Ezria: Yeah, you got it!  
Ava B: Ugh, I love Caleb so incredibly much. He's just so SWEET! And it's so much fun jabbing at Aria's smallness, I'm not gonna lie (mainly because I'm the same height so it feels good to be on the other end). And thank you! I was aiming to write him well, so glad I pulled through!  
EmmersonTiriel: That was an amazing comparison you just made. Each day, you reviewers open my eyes even more to this story and what I unintentionally have been doing all along. You're right, Spencer and the Basilisk COULD have a connection. Maybe it's living through her? The possibilities stretch on forever! You'll just have to find out, but you're on the right track ;) and writing for Aria and Caleb is loads of fun. Both are such empowering characters, and they go together incredibly well. I noticed that whenever they interacted on the show, and when they were put in the same house in my story, I jumped at the opportunity :D and hahaha yes, "sleuthing" means "investigating". Not weed. We'll leave the weed to Maya. All of your guesses for A are valid, and at this point you just need to sit and read on to find out!  
AvrilRP212: Neville is fun to write for, I must admit :) you'll be seeing a bit more of him, too! And I feel sorry for them, too :( stupid A!  
Sgdp1261: Neville would be an ADORABLE teacher! Ugh, I can't. And I know, I love Caleb! He and Ezra are my favorites... and of course one of them is LEAVING while the other is, you know, THE ONE BEHIND IT ALL! I think this show is secretly after my soul or something.  
elggup: Does Caleb take ANYONE'S advice? And I miss the couples too :( soon, my dear! SOON!  
AddictedToSpoby: Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it! More to come! :)  
Bagilia: Yeah he is! Caleb is back and better than ever :) and a Tranna shipper? Are you LITERALLY saying such a thing exists? I don't want to live on this planet anymore ._. yeah, Caleb does take that role. But it's just... Vanderjesus... my emotions... also, I'm legitimately afraid if I don't give her the title she'll vaporize me or some shit.  
**

**Alright, this next chapter I hope you guys like. You all mention the Hardy Boys ever now and then, and... well... I gave them my own twist, I guess you could say. They're not the Hardy Boys you expected; they're a different combination. ANYWAY, enjoy, and REVIEW!**

* * *

Ezra stood at the front of his desk, sorting through his notes and preparing his lecture for his upcoming class. He had been on edge a lot lately; Aria always had an effect of making him calmer, more collected, but now she wasn't around to do that, so he had been ready to pull his hair out.

Breaking up with Aria had been a mistake, and he had figured this out early on. But he didn't want to go back to her. He was afraid for her, and always felt that he was holding her back. He didn't know what was going on with her and the girls, but a part of him always felt like it was because of him. Maybe that was true, or maybe it wasn't, but he didn't want to be responsible for hurting her. He'd never forgive himself.

"Ezra Fitz," a squeaky, unpleasant voice called as heels clacked against the hardwood. Ezra huffed, recognizing the voice instantly. He was honestly surprised he hadn't gone bald by now.

"Ms. Skeeter," he said politely, plastering on a smile. "Good to see you again."

"Yes, yes," Rita said absently as she pulled her famous acid green quill out of her crocodile skin purse. Ezra narrowed his eyes, noticing something peculiar about her.

"You know, you don't have to keep wearing those robes," he said, referring to her Hufflepuff robes that she'd refused to take off. "Everyone here _knows_ who you are."

"Do they?" she said, feigning surprise as she reached her hand to her mouth. "Well then, looks like I'm doing my job correctly."

Ezra could feel his blood boil, which was something that always scared him; he didn't like lashing out at people, yet he also did _not_ like Rita. Not one bit. He had read the article she had published about Spencer, and realized that it was indeed her that took his books. That was enough to anger him, but the things that she kept saying about Spencer, and the fact that she exposed Aria and Mike by revealing that Mike was a victim, was enough for him to... well, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but it was something terrible.

"Now, I'm back here because I'm looking for opinions," Rita began, ignoring the scowl on Ezra's face. "I'm sure you've read the article that was released this morning - "

"Of course I've read it," he spat, surprising himself again with his animosity toward this woman.

She seemed startled too, but she kept going; she dealt with people like this all the time. "Well, I'm writing a followup article, and I want to interview students and professors to see what they think of Miss Hastings being a suspect."

"I think it's ridiculous," Ezra answered, as simply as possible.

"Really, now?" Rita said curiously as her quill scribbled on the parchment in her hands. "Care to elaborate?"

"Not really," Ezra said stubbornly as he crossed his arms. He knew he was acting like a child, and he frankly didn't care.

But suddenly, Rita's demeanor changed. She looked up, an icy glint in her eyes. "How about giving me something to work with here?" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Why should I?" Ezra said venomously, the blood boiling inside of him finally spilling out over the top of the kettle. "You're... you're _horrible!_ You're going around telling lies about people, _stealing_ from them, all just for a mediocre story in a newspaper!"

"Well, isn't it interesting that you'd bring up the stealing," Rita said, tapping her fingers so hard against the desk before her that some of her black nailpolish was chipping off, collecting in a small pile on the surface. Ezra froze; did she already know that those books belonged to him? And if she did, what did that mean for him?

"Alright, that's it," someone over by the door said, and both Rita and Ezra turned around.

It was Toby.

"Time for you to go," he growled, and neither Rita nor Ezra needed to confirm whom he was talking to.

Rita firmly grasped her quill out of thin air, squeezing it so hard that the feathers were all ruffled at the top. "Who exactly are you?"

"I go to school here," Toby spat. "I don't like the way you're disrupting my _learning_."

At this, Rita let out a dry laugh. "Well that is the biggest load of - "

"Bullshit?" Toby finished. Ezra knew it was his responsibility to correct him for using foul language, but he figured it wasn't the right time. Toby stepped forward, contempt clear in his cartoonish features. "I'd like to see what Professor McGonagall thinks about that."

It was clear that Rita was absolutely stunned. Her jaw went slack. But she didn't give herself time to come up with a clever comeback. Instead, she just hiked her crocodile skin bag further up on her shoulder and marched out of the room, pursing her lips and neglecting to say goodbye.

Ezra let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. "Thanks, Toby."

"Anytime, Professor Fitz."

Ezra bit his lip, hard, before responding. "Actually, you can call me Ezra."

Toby's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" Ezra offered up as he sat at his desk. "Especially since I think I know why you're here, and it's probably better that we stay on a first name basis."

"How did you - "

"Because I'm freaking out, too," Ezra admitted as he put his head in his hands. Toby immediately pulled up a chair and sat in front of him.

"I'm so glad that it's not just me," he said worriedly. "I should've never broken up with Spencer, but..."

"But you can't find a way to go back to her?" Ezra asked, and Toby nodded his head.

"I'm the same way," Ezra said with a sigh. "Why are we such idiots? Something is going on with the girls, and we're just... _leaving_ them to it!"

"Well it's time to stop that from happening," Toby said determinedly, and Ezra looked up at him. "I don't know what kind of progress they're making on their own, but they seem to want to keep us out of it."

"So... we do some snooping of our own and just not tell them about it?" Ezra speculated, and Toby snapped his fingers.

"Bingo," he said as a mischievous smile graced his face. "So where do we start?"

"I... have no idea," Ezra answered honestly. "I think the first thing we need to do is get those books back from Rita."

"Consider me on it," Toby said as he stood up from his chair. "I'll figure out where they are, and then get straight back to you."

He then started to walk out of the room, but Ezra stopped him. "Toby!"

Toby whipped around, looking at Ezra with a fierce look in his piercing blue eyes. But when Ezra looked more closely into them, he could easily pinpoint love. He loved Spencer, just like Ezra loved Aria. And together, they would do whatever they could to stop whatever it was that was hurting them. They were a team now; an unlikely one at that, but when had anything in his life been anything _close_ to likely?

"Good luck," he finally said, and Toby curtly nodded his head at this before exiting the classroom.

* * *

**Side Note: Team Tezra! Ezoby? Whatever have you. They're bromance has begun is what is important! This story is all about bringing unlikely characters together, so I wanted them to team up. You'll be seeing more of these two as a team, and I PROMISE it works! You'll see several different combinations of spouses, actually, and I really hope you like them. Also, Rita. Just Rita. That is all.**


	39. Chapter 39

**www . youtube watch?v=Jz9HaXZ5o0g**

**In case you were unable to tell, that link above is a youtube link... MY youtube link! That's right. I spent an entire day figuring out how to use iMovie so that I could create a trailer for you guys... I'm exhausted! Literally though, I never would've thought I'd be able to do such a thing. You guys make me do crazy things and I LOVE it! So please please PLEASE watch the trailer above because I worked super hard on it, AND, of course, use it to promote this story to your friends, family, and people you don't like all that much... so basically everyone. SPREAD THE WORD! :)**

**PS: In the link above, take out the spaces AND add in the dot com slash thing after youtube. Oh FanFiction...**

**Of course, that means that the competition I set up is over, but I don't think it matters since no one was gonna do it anyway.**

**I'm on an energy high right now. Anyway, REVIEWS!**

**Sarah: Hahaha, my favorite side of Ezbian: sassy. I saw this tumblr post that had all of these gifs of his sassiest moments, and I died. Like him going "Who said you could come in?" to Jackie, and when Aria punches him and he goes "THAT HURT!" Too great. And oh man I wish, but I don't know how well that would fit into this story, hahaha. And my specialty is providing BEAUTIFUL TOYOTAS to the general public in the month of September, so I'll keep it coming! And dude, send me those Tezra fics when you're finished!  
AL3110: I'm excited for the bromance, too :)  
TotalCowGirl: Yep, Toby came in to save the day! And you'll see more of their bromance. It's gonna be epic ;D  
JosieCarter: Well, Ezra's gonna have plenty of scenes with the boys now!  
hufflepuffhaleb: Well, I figured it out so now worries! :) And thank you!  
Ava B: Yeah, Toby DOES need to interact with more people! In fact, the spouses in general need to interact with the girls more. Which I'm having them do in my story ;)And I like being short, too! Well... most of the time. But I get to wear tall boots, so it works out.  
elggup: They'd have such a good bromance, I don't understand why the writers don't utilize it! And you'll find out later! These two will be interacting again :)  
Spobyistruelove: Haha, well you can't really like them because THEY NEVER INTERACT ON THE SHOW! But when they're together they're an amazing team. All they want is to protect their girls!  
Alexis: I'll try! They'll be in scenes together, no worries :)  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: TEZRA YES! And haha, everyone hates Rita! I LOVE her! She's such a gossip, it's hilarious!  
Silver-Infinite: Haha, YES! The funny thing is I wrote this before I found out Ezra was A, so I didn't realize at the time how BEAUTIFULLY it worked out! Of course, that doesn't diminish the feels... my OTPS are CRASHING!  
AvrilRP212: Absolutely! And then they could all have a threesome afterward... it's PERFECT! #TeamEzrobeb.  
Ayoungnovelist: I HEARD HE WAS VISITING BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THEY HAD AN EPISODE FOR IT! Oh man... oh MAN! I will be counting the days girl counting the DAYS!  
Bagilia: Well, in case you haven't noticed, there are OTHER people who are reading this story who want their share of the other spouses? ;) But I'll give you a countdown: 2 chapters until we see Caleb again. Happy? And seriously, Tranna isn't even a thing yet, and he is NO WHERE NEAR as perfect as Caleb. Such a tragedy, I can't even. And Shaggy? Give me a challenge will you? Spencer and Aria are FOREVER the Shaggy/Scooby duo. They're partners in crime but they're absolute shit at sleuthing. It's the oldest joke on AfterEllen next to all of the Ezbian cracks haha. I bet Aria is in a REAL mood for a scooby snack right now... where do you think Spencer hides them?  
Sgdp1261: Hahaha, I am imagining that too and am laughing so hard. It works, too, because Benedict Cumberbatch and Ian Harding look so much alike! And no worries about it being late; as you can see, this chapter is late as well.**

**NEW CHAPTER YAY! Enjoy, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Also, don't forget to watch the trailer! I worked super hard on it!**

* * *

That night, Emily lay in her bedpost, flat on her back, as she stared blankly up at the ceiling. She couldn't find a way to sleep peacefully. Every time she _tried,_ she was unsuccessful. Yet she couldn't understand why she couldn't sleep; tomorrow was the visit to Hogsmeade, and in these situations she usually fell asleep right away since she was always so excited for the next day.

But not tonight.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Maya and Paige. There would always be a small part of her that really loved Maya, and perhaps that love had been stowed away while she was with Paige. But maybe that was a good thing; Paige was able to help her to _forget_ about whom she had loved in the past. And Paige had been there for her in ways that Maya hadn't, _especially_ when Maya dropped off the face of the earth.

Maya or Paige? _Maya..._ or _Paige?_

The burden of the decision weighing much too heavily on her, Emily threw back her covers and got up from the mattress. She started pacing back and forth around the dorm room - on the balls of her feet, of course, so that she didn't wake up those around her. Whoever this person was that sent her and her friends those fangs, whoever it was that was behind the opening of the Chamber and the petrifying of all those students, she hoped they'd rot in hell forever.

They'd ruined her relationship. They'd taken Paige, the best thing that had happened to her since... well, since Maya, away from her. And now, she had to choose between two people she cared an insane amount about.

She felt sick.

_Maybe if I go to see Maya, and actually _talk_ to her, the answer will be more clear,_ Emily thought to herself. It seemed silly that something like that could solve all of her problems, but she remembered something Aria had said to her when she asked how she dealt with Mike being in the same state.

_"Sometimes, talking to him helps," she had said, giving a sad shrug with her shoulders. "Talking, and making up his side of the conversation as I go. Improvising, I guess you could say."_

_"And that really helps?" Emily had said warily, causing Aria to laugh._

_"Somehow, yeah, it does," she had said warmly, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder. "I know you miss Maya, just like I miss Mike. But you'd be surprised what a small conversation could do for you."_

Emily sat down at the edge of her bed, pondering this. _Yeah, maybe talking will help,_ she thought. _But can I just _improvise_ Maya telling me whether she loves me or not?_

There was only one way to find out.

Emily got up from the mattress and headed out of the dorm room, padding down the stone cold steps, past the gargoyles, and into the common room. As she took in the sight of the squishy armchairs and the bulletin board on the far wall that listed the upcoming events, she let her mind wander. Neither of the girls wanted to admit it, but they were all thinking the same thing: things had gone far too wrong, far too fast, and this "A" person had basically taken away everything from all of them. Emily had lost her position on the Quidditch team, _both_ of her girlfriends, and she wouldn't be surprised if she lost her friends soon as well!

Oh god. Her friends. She'd be lost without them. She didn't even know how she'd live without Hanna's snarky sense of humor. Without Aria's feisty petiteness. Without Spencer's knowledge and insanity. Without _any_ of them, she'd be gone.

"Going somewhere?"

Emily gasped, broken out of her thoughts, and whipped around. But when she saw who it was, she let herself relax a little. "God, Paige, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry," Paige said sheepishly, and even in the deep shadows, Emily could tell that she was blushing. "And... I mean that in more ways than one."

Emily's ears perked up for a second. "Do you mean..."

"I mean I'm sorry for lashing out at you," Paige admitted. "You were going through a rough time, and I really wasn't helping."

"Does this mean you wanna get back together?" Emily said hopefully.

Paige hesitated at this, and that was enough of an answer for Emily. But at the sight of Emily wilting, Paige jumped at the chance to clarify herself. "Emily, I don't know if you're ready to be with anyone right now. I think you're confused."

"About what?" Emily said frustratedly. Was this really happening right now? "Paige, Maya might not even come back. That means you and I can be together!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Paige pointed out, a touch of anger in her voice, even if she was trying to speak as gently as possible. "You're basically saying that since your first love is out of the picture, you can get together with me, your second choice."

Emily bit her lip, embarrassed. "That's not what I meant."

"No, but that's what you _said_," Paige said sadly. "And don't pretend that you're not down here to go visit her, either."

Emily gawked. "How did you - "

"Because I know you, Em," Paige said warmly, walking over to one of the armchairs. Emily wanted desperately to sit with her, but she figured that wouldn't be welcome at the moment.

Paige continued. "I know that right now you're trying to choose between me and Maya, and that if Maya _does_ come back you're basically screwed."

Emily bowed her head. "And now you're going to make me choose, aren't you?"

"Actually, no, I'm not."

At these words, Emily jerked her head up. "What do you mean?"

Paige sighed as she stood up again, looking into Emily's dark almond eyes. "I love you, Emily," Paige said softly. "And all I want is for you to be happy. If I make you happy, then you and I should be together. But if you're happier with Maya..."

Emily let out a shaky breath. "I can't believe you're doing that for me. I mean, Maya kept making me _choose_, and - "

"Well then clearly she doesn't know love," Paige said simply. "The way I see it is... sometimes when you love someone, you have to think of _them_ before yourself."

Emily let these words sink into her skull, into her bones, into her entire body. Paige waited a minute before turning toward the door to the dormitories, as Emily stared after her, wondering what on earth she would do now.

* * *

**Side Note: Oh Emily. So young, so naive, so CONFUSED! Paige sure knows how to push a girl's buttons... yet in the sexiest way possible, of course. And also, there is a reference in here, and it'd be impossible to get if I didn't tell you it was from ****_The Suite Life of Zack and Cody_**** (no shame. It was YEARS ago). So if you can pick it up, props to you! Sound off in the reviews.**


	40. Chapter 40

**516 reviews... who ARE you people? I have the best reviewers in the world, and I have no clue what I did to deserve all of you wonderful people reading my story. THANK YOU! Also, shout out to Sarah for pushing for me to get to those last few reviews. AND shout out to elggup for getting the reference: "Sometimes when you love someone, you have to think of them before yourself." Moseby says this to London as advice for when she wanted to date the dentist. SO sweet XD**

**REVIEWS!**

**AL3110: Thank you so much!  
JosieCarter: First of all, thank you for being the first reviewer on my trailer! Second of all, you'll get your Ezria eventually, no worries!  
hufflepuffhaleb: THANK YOU for your suggestion! I'm so glad I took it into account :)  
Sarah: Okay, I KNEW you were a Slytherin! NO ONE is that awesome without being sorted into the Slytherin house. Join the club, along with PrettyWitchyVamp and Bagilia. SLYTHERIN BROS FOREVER! Also, that tumblr page you suggested was hilarious, as well as accurate. And I watched a few episodes of the spinoff... it sucked. You are insane and fabulous and I love you, THANK YOU for those last few reviews!  
Silver-Infinite: I secretly hope all of the girls leave their spouses so that they can marry each other ;)  
TotalCowGirl: It could be!  
elggup: Emily is the most emotionally conflicted of the liars, there is no denying that.  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: They might! Just keep reading :) thank you for your love toward my trailer and my story and for just being you in general.  
Hamburger394: Welcome to the dark side! Glad to see someone new is reading my story. It takes DEDICATION to read this entire story in a morning! Props to you! And sorry about your heart... I'll try my best not to break it any further! But thank you for the compliments toward my writing :)  
District7ET: Glad to see someone new reading this! And Hanna and Caleb are my favorite as well (they're tied with Ezria for my OTP).  
Ayoungnovelist: Nope... but good try!  
Ava B: Thank you! It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be :)  
Bagilia: You are a BAMF, there is no denying that. However, you're tied with Sarah and PrettyWitchyVamp for the BIGGEST BAMF. Y'all can battle it out on your own time :) and EVERYTHING you just mentioned will be included in their trip to Hogsmeade, so you have that to look forward to! Also, your favorite shady hacker boy will come in again next chapter, so consider that all my birthday present to you :) and I showcase what Slytherins are capable of?! WHAT A COMPLIMENT! Oh my god that made my weekend, thank you! And it's always a good day when I'm not exonerated... but I'll tell people WHAT I want, WHEN I want to, and if I think Ian and Benedict look alike, I'M GONNA SAY SO! They're both hot in their own ways ;)  
Forever Courage: Don't worry about it! And thank you! And whichever way I write it, I think you'll like it :) that's a good way of looking at it.  
PrettyWitchyVamp: This is why I have the best reviewers ever. You all FREAK OUT whenever you don't review on time or miss a chapter, and then either go on a major reviewing spree OR beg for forgiveness, as if I'm gonna whip out my wand and go all "Avada Kedavra" on your asses. NO WORRIES! And you are exploding with feels right now, and it is very entertaining, and I'm just gonna leave it at that, haha. Thank you for the marvelous reviews!  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: YOU'RE BACK! I mean, you didn't finish, but still YOU'RE BACK! Now I'm very scared because you stopped at the chapter that I was afraid everyone was gonna stop reading yet, so I hope you STAY back... thank you for the reviews, you're awesome!**

**Alright, this is possibly one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you guys like it as well! Enjoy, and I'd tell you to review, but you all are so amazing I feel like I don't even have to remind you anymore!**

* * *

Spencer lay in bed, fast asleep and swaddled in the ratty old blanket as she cuddled against the far wall of the bedpost. She couldn't remember what she had dreamed about, or if she had even dreamed anything at all, but a simple rustle had caused her eyes to flutter open. She took a minute to take in her surroundings, and then rolled over so that she was facing the interior of the dorm room instead of the window. Perhaps one of her roommates had gotten up to go to the bathroom. Or maybe it was one of their pets pawing at their cages. Or maybe...

Nope.

Spencer shot up and out of her blankets, cowering against the far corner of her bed post as she processed the sight before her. Mona Vanderwaal, in a pair of sweatpants, a v-neck, and an oversized cardigan, was hovering over her.

"Is this a bad time?" Mona asked innocently.

Spencer rubbed her neck from the whiplash she just experienced, before gawking up at Mona. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Look, I know you and I aren't on the best terms," Mona went on to explain casually, as though she _hadn't_ just sneaked into the Slytherin Dungeons in the middle of the night. "But I hope you know that I would _never_ do something like that to you."

"And you came all the way up here just to say that?" Spencer asked incredulously.

"No, I came up here to say more. I might not get another chance to do this, and I wanted to set some things straight."

"Set some things straight?" Spencer echoed. "Mona, what are you _talking_ about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that someone is watching over me," Mona whispered hastily, "and I need to tell you whatever I can _now_ unless I want a knife in my throat. Now are you done questioning me?"

Spencer was practically seeing stars trying to get a hold of everything, but she finally nodded her head, indicating that she was done.

Mona took a deep breath before continuing. "I gave you your fang."

Spencer's jaw dropped, but Mona continued. "I gave you yours, and I gave Hanna hers. Noel gave Aria and Emily theirs."

Spencer's face contorted from one of shock to one of pure anger. "You... you were _behind_ all of this?!"

Mona's eyes widened, and she quickly leaned over and smacked her hand against Spencer's mouth. "_Quiet!_" she hissed. "Do you _want_ to see me die?"

_Well, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world,_ Spencer thought to herself, but externally she shook her head, indicating she didn't want this to happen.

Finally, Mona released her hand. "It's not what it looks like," she said honestly, "I promise!"

"Then what is it? Why did you guys give those to us?"

"Because someone is _blackmailing_ us," Mona whispered.

There was silence, and Spencer let this sink in before asking, "What does he... she... _it_ have on you?"

Mona took this as her cue to sit at the edge of the bed, preparing to tell her anecdote. "A few years ago, back when Noel and I were dating... we went skinny dipping in the Black Lake."

Spencer gasped, but Mona just gave her a look that said, _I'm not even finished._ "And about a month later... I found out I was _pregnant _from it."

Spencer gasped even louder this time, forgetting for a second where she was. "What did you do?"

"I aborted the baby, of course," Mona said casually, as if it were obvious. "But if something like that got out around campus... my reputation, my status as Head Prefect, all of that would be gone. And Noel... I can't even think of what people would say to Noel. It would just be horrible."

Mona then bowed her head. "But _she_ found out. And she threatened us with it."

"So, you've been _torturing_ us just to save your _own_ ass?" Spencer summarized. Mona bit her lip; Spencer sure had a knack for making things sound ten times worse than they actually were.

"It goes deeper than just a simple rumor," Mona said desperately. "After a while, I wanted out. But..."

"But what?"

Mona lowered her head, and Spencer noticed that her hands were shaking. "She threatened to kill me, Spence."

Spencer could feel the hairs on her arms standing up. Something about this felt so incredibly wrong. "And everything that happened at the Halloween Ball? That was you and Noel, too?"

"Noel's instructions were to ask Aria to dance," Mona said, nodding her head. "But the rest was someone else."

"Who?"

Mona took a breath before answering. "Lucas."

"_Lucas?_" Spencer whispered fiercely. How deep did this go?

As if she were reading her mind, Mona responded with, "I don't know how deep he's in, and I'm not certain of his motivations. But I _do_ know that he's working for the same person that we're working for."

"And that is?"

Mona glared at Spencer, indicating that she should ask something else. Anything _but_ the question she had just asked.

"The fangs," Spencer breathed, changing the subject. "How… _where_ did you get them?"

"I don't know," Mona answered honestly. "She didn't tell me."

"So it really is a girl," Spencer said softly, pulling the covers further up her body, as though for protection. Mona wanted to deny this, but it was too late; she just subtly nodded her head to confirm it.

"Noel and I think there might be others behind it as well," she said quickly before Spencer could get a word in. "We don't think one person could be controlling the three of us alone. That's why he's been dating Jenna."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Spencer said, mainly to herself, not bothering to hide the admiration in her voice. Mona nodded her head.

"So far, he's unsuccessful," she said pessimistically. "And that means that the person who is _actually_ behind this is more powerful than we thought."

"Mona." Spencer was leaning forward, now an inch away from Mona's face as she stared at her with a pleading look in her eyes. "I know you and I have never gotten along, but if you can tell me who's behind this, it can solve all of my problems. Hell, it could solve all of _yours_!"

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Mona whispered frantically. "I want this to end just as much as you do, but I can't initiate that."

"Why?"

"Because it's bad enough that I'm telling you all of _this_," Mona said, the pleading look in her eyes matching the look in Spencer's. "If she finds out – "

"Who is _she?_" Spencer asked desperately.

"I'm sorry, I've said enough," Mona said, backing away from the bedspread with her hands extended in refusal. But the further away Mona backed up, the closer Spencer scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Is _she_ the one who opened the Chamber? Is everything connected the way we think it is?"

"I can't tell you that either," Mona said, rapidly shaking her head.

"Please, just a hint," Spencer begged. "Just… _something_ to lead me in the right direction."

The pleading, desperate look in Mona's eyes transmitted to one of fear, then to one of anxiety… and then to something else.

Ferocity.

The kind of ferocity that she used to always see in Mona's eyes when they were competing for something. Grades, privileges, prefect statuses, anything. But there was darkness in her features this time. Something much more corrupted.

"You want a hint?" she challenged darkly, her voice dropping about seven octaves. "Here's one: the Spencer you've always been? The nitpicky one who has to make sure every little thing is perfect? Has to know and understand every little thing? Ignore that."

"Ignore it?"

"Let it go," Mona clarified. "Don't get hung up on the details and miss what's parked right in front of you. I know you want to think of this all as some sort of _game…_ but this isn't Wizard Chess, okay? This is some seriously messed up stuff. But _here's_ your hint: you're getting warmer."

And with that, Mona pulled the hood of her cardigan up over her head, casting a shadow over her ethnic features, before she tiptoed out of the room, with Spencer being too stunned to protest.

* * *

**Side Note: Oh Vanderjesus. PLEASE never change. Ever. REFERENCES GALORE! So Mona just dropped the bomb: she, Noel, and Lucas are working with A. But the question is... who is the REAL one behind it all? Sound off in the reviews!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey guys. Something happened in my life very recently that is going to slow down the updating process, but I'm going to keep trying because I don't want to deprive you guys of what I promised you. Also, I probably won't be replying to reviews for awhile either. It just takes up so much energy that I do not have at the moment. But I want you all to know that you're amazing and I love you very much and THANK YOU for reading my story. You rock.**

**Check the reviews for references, because majority of the reviewers got them right.**

* * *

Aria let herself sink into the cushion of the chair in the common room, staring intently at the fang she had received that very first day of school. She narrowed her eyes, focusing in particular on the "A" carved into it, as though she could stare straight through the lone letter directly into the fang, where an answer most likely lied.

Eventually, she got tired of staring. She was tempted to throw the fang across the room, but her temptation halted when she heard sounds behind her. Scrambling to her feet, Aria whipped around with her wand extended, held out in self-defense, but she immediately dropped it when she saw Caleb before her.

"Man, if I had a knut for every time this has happened this year…" Caleb started.

"Sorry," Aria said sheepishly, sinking back into her chair as she lowered her wand. "I'm a little on edge."

"Aren't we all," Caleb said understandingly as he walked over to the chair.

Aria sighed, her head in her hands, before looking up at him. "What are you doing down here?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get a glass of milk," Caleb explained.

"From where?"

"The kitchen."

"Why are you going all the way down to the kitchen in the middle of the night?" Aria asked incredulously.

Caleb just shrugged. "I guess I just feel better when I'm closer to Hanna."

Aria froze, but then nodded her head in silent understanding. Caleb wanted nothing more than to be with Hanna, but under the circumstances it was difficult. If being close to her in _distance_ helped ease him, then so be it.

Caleb ducked his head as he sat on the arm of the chair. "But that's kinda pointless now, isn't it?" he admitted. "The kitchen is flooded with house elves, after all."

Aria nodded, but when she looked up, Caleb was looking at her expectantly. She swatted him, hard. "I am _not_ putting on a house elf costume to help you sneak into the kitchen!"

"Fine, forget I asked," Caleb said, putting his hands up in surrender. It wasn't _his_ fault Aria's height came in handy when in these situations. "Anyway, why are _you_ up?"

"Couldn't sleep either," she confessed, sitting up in her chair and looking down at the fang on the table before her. "I kept thinking about… _this_ thing."

"Well what's not to think about?" he said, reaching over the table and picking up the fang, examining it carefully. "What is 'A' anyway?"

Aria shook her head, claiming she didn't know, as she glanced at the fang as well. "Do you think if we figured out what it means, we could figure out who's behind this… and stop it?"

"Worth a shot," Caleb said, placing it back on the table so that the "A" was facing upward. He continued to stare at the "A", as fiercely and intensely as possible.

Aria furrowed her brow and looked up at him. "Sure, keep doing that," she said sarcastically. "It's worked _so well_ for me."

Caleb groaned, smacking his hand on the table in frustration. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "You're smart, _I'm_ smart, why can't we figure this out?"

"Because it's above our heads!" Aria shouted back as she stood up, starting to pace nervously. "At this rate, we'll _never_ find out, you and Hanna will _never_ get back together, and I'll _never_ get Mike back!"

"We can't keep thinking like that!" Caleb croaked. "You'll get your brother back, and I'll get Hanna back. We just can't give up!"

"Well at this point, we might as well," Aria said hopelessly.

"Aria – "

"I'm serious! What's the point anymore? We've lost everything, and if we keep searching, I bet this person will find a way to just keep taking more."

"_Aria – _"

"_WHAT?_" she snapped, turning to him.

"Look!"

He was pointing at the fang, and Aria came running back over to where he was sitting.

The "A" was still intact, but it was… misshapen.

**/\  
/ \**

"I must've triggered something when I smacked my hand on the table," Caleb said logically, holding his hand up and examining it carefully.

"It's all disconnected," Aria whispered, still looking at the fang, and Caleb nodded in agreement.

"It looks like a bunch of dashes. Does it mean anything to you?"

Aria shook her head. "Not to me… but it definitely means _something_."

After a minute, Aria sat back down in her chair, and after another minute, she pulled out her wand.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something," she said softly, taking the tip of her wand and directing it at the "A". It lit up suddenly, and all of the dashes started scrambling around on the fang. They danced in squiggly patterns for several seconds, before slowing down to a complete stop in an arrangement of letters.

T D L

"T.D.L.?" Caleb voiced the letters out loud, seeing if they'd make more sense spoken. They didn't.

"Well, it's something," Aria said, defeated, before letting out a small yawn. "I'm beat. Let's just figure this all out in the morning."

Caleb nodded as he leaned over to wrap an arm around Aria in a side hug. She was caught off guard for a second, but she knew that there was nothing but platonic affection behind it. For one, the two of them were tired of feeling alone without their significant others, and they made surprisingly good company. And for another, he was working hard to protect Hanna and Aria and the rest of the girls, and she and the girls needed his help to end this.

They were all in this together. They were all a family now.

"G'nite," he said after pulling away, giving a small salute as he ascended up the stairs. Aria gave a small wave before looking back at the fang, and at the three letters engraved on it.

T D L.

_T D L._

After repeating it to herself internally about 20 more times, Aria's head snapped up, her blood running cold.

T D L.

T. D. L.

_The Dark Lord._

* * *

**Side Note: Jesus. THAT is a reveal. First of all, someone check Bagilia to make sure she's breathing since her SHADY HACKER BOY reappeared. Second of all, Aria just figured out that the person behind the fangs has to do with The Dark Lord. Damn... Sound off in the reviews! And I'll try to be more chipper next time, I promise.**

**Also, I apologize about the "A". It looked way cooler in my word document... damn you FanFiction. Just imagine seven dashes making up the "A" if that'll help.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Thank you all for your incredible love and support. The fact that you felt you needed to check up on me means so much. And I can only repay you with another chapter, right? So here you go :)**

* * *

Toby rounded the corner of the corridor, wary of his surroundings as he continued to walk forward. He would constantly reach back to rub his shoulders, the backpack he was carrying weighing heavily on even _his_ strong body. He felt like he had a ton of bricks on his back.

It was sometime in the middle of the night, and he was trying his hardest not to get caught. Luckily, it didn't seem like there were any professors out this late at night, except for the one in particular that he was looking for.

"Ezra," Toby whispered. "Ezra!"

Within a few seconds, Ezra had peeled himself off of a nearby wall, still dressed in his teaching robes. He walked over to Toby, an expectant look on his face. "I take it you found them?"

Toby gave a wide grin that sparkled in the pitch-blackness as he pulled his backpack out from behind him. He kneeled on the ground as he undid the zipper, and pulled out a stack of books from the pocket.

"I think that's all of them," Toby breathed, rolling his shoulders backward with a satisfying _crack_.

"How'd you find them?"

"It was harder than it should've been," Toby admitted. "But in the end, a simple summoning charm was all I needed."

"_Accio books?_" Ezra said thoughtfully. "Impressive."

Toby nodded his thanks, and Ezra kneeled down next to him, holding up the books and flipping through the pages of some of them as he worked his way through them, cover to cover. After a few minutes, he frowned.

"What's wrong?" Toby asked in concern.

Ezra sighed as he stood up from the ground. "This isn't all of them," he said sadly, flopping his hands at his sides.

"How do you know?"

"Because when I found out about the books being stolen, I went on my own search," Ezra explained in a hushed tone as Toby stood up from the ground as well. "Spencer took some of my books, but she had Aria steal some books from the restricted section of the library. So I _checked_ the restricted section, and used Madame Pince's guide to see which books were on the Chamber."

"And?"

"There were five," Ezra explained as he reached down and then held up one of the books for emphasis. "But one is missing."

Toby's eyes widened as he dropped back down to the ground, searching through the large pile of books. "Do you know which one it is?"

"No idea." Ezra shook his head as he let out a slow breath. "Why would Rita take all of the books, but leave one?"

"Maybe there's something in that one book that she wanted someone to find?" Toby suggested.

"No, that wouldn't make sense. Why would she want us to _find_ something? She wouldn't try to help us like that."

"Yeah, you're right," Toby agreed, ducking his head in disappointment. But just as soon as it went down, it shot back up. "Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Toby stood back up from the ground. "What if she just took what she could find? And the other book…"

"Is somewhere else?" Ezra finished, getting excited now. "Toby, that has to be it! The last book just wasn't with Spencer."

"But why wouldn't she have that one with her?" Toby inquired.

"Maybe it was too heavy?"

"That's never stopped her before," Toby said knowingly. "She's stronger than she looks. I've seen her haul stacks of books as tall as _me_ all the way across campus."

"So what are you saying?" Ezra asked, leaning against a nearby pillar.

"I'm saying Spencer probably didn't even _have_ the other book."

"_What?_"

"Someone else probably has it instead," Toby said reasonably, eyebrows arched upward, indicating he wanted Ezra to guess what he was thinking. Ezra scratched his head, thinking about this, but no answer came to mind. Toby finally sighed, figuring he had to give Ezra a pass on this one and just speak up.

"Aria," he finally breathed. "It's gotta be Aria, Ezra."

"What?" Ezra's eyes widened at this. "Why Aria?"

"Aria was the one who stole the books from the library," Toby said in a low voice, aware of the high stakes they were in. "She must've just not given one to Spencer."

"But why would she – "

"Look, I didn't say I had all the details yet," Toby said defensively. Even in the dark, he noticed the accusatory glint in Ezra's eyes. Toby was in _no_ way trying to blame Ezra's girlfriend - well, _ex_-girlfriend - for anything, but if she had something that they needed, then they needed to get it from her.

"Then what are you saying?" Ezra challenged.

"I'm saying she has to have it. We might not know _why_, but it's gotta be with her."

"But Toby, the girls don't keep secrets from each other," Ezra whispered. "You and I know that perfectly well."

"So?"

"So if Aria is keeping that book, then it must have some seriously valuable information in it for her to want to keep it from the girls," Ezra said logically, darkness present in his normally soothing voice. "Something she doesn't want them to know."

Toby leaned back, thinking about this intently. How could that be? What could be in that book?

"I guess we need to get that book from her," Ezra said with a sigh, once it was clear Toby wasn't going to say anything else. He didn't like going behind Aria's back, but it seemed like something that had to be done.

Toby nodded. "Tomorrow is the trip to Hogsmeade, so no one is gonna be in their houses."

"Wait." Ezra held his hand up, eying Toby suspiciously. "You're going to sneak into the Ravenclaw Tower?"

"Yeah." Toby gave a simple shrug. "I can get the password out of Caleb."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Ezra said unsurely. "I could just go ask her for it or something."

"She's not going to give it to you!" Toby argued. "Ezra, I know it's hard, but Aria's not your girlfriend anymore."

"And she's not _going_ to be again if I do something like _this_ to her!"

"You're not the one doing it, _I_ am!"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps on the pavement reverberated throughout the corridor. Ezra and Toby froze, too stunned to go into hiding, until Ezra's instincts kicked into gear and he pulled Toby away, behind the nearest pillar.

"Professor McGonagall, you can't be serious!"

"I'm quite serious, Mr. Longbottom," McGonagall said forlornly as she stalked down the hall, Longbottom in tow.

"But Professor, we're only halfway through the school year!" Longbottom squeaked. "At least give it another chance."

"I've given plenty of chances, Neville," McGonagall said seriously, switching to his first name now and shocking the boy greatly. It seemed that she'd call him anything but "Professor" – to her, he'd always be the little boy in Gryffindor that had shown effortless and unexpected bravery during times of trouble. "I can't let this go on any longer. There have been too many attacks. It's time we started admitting that Hogwarts is no longer safe."

"We don't need to admit that to the students, they're already figuring it out!" Neville argued. "But it's not necessary to close the school just yet."

Ezra and Toby whipped their heads toward each other, their faces paling. _Closing the school?_

"I'm afraid it is _more_ than necessary," McGonagall said solemnly. "You saw what I just saw, didn't you?"

"Of course I just saw it, Professor," Neville admitted. "But please, give me some time."

"I've given you nothing _but_ time, Longbottom!"

"Then give me some more time!" Neville pleaded. "The mandrake draught is almost ready, I swear it!"

McGonagall stiffened, but then took two steps toward Neville. "What good will that do if the students just keep _dropping?_" she challenged. "Make all the juice you want. But no matter what, I have a feeling these attacks just won't stop."

"Professor – "

"Go to bed, Neville," McGonagall said finally, before swinging around, her cloak billowing behind her, and stalking down the hall to her office. Neville sighed, but then promptly exited the hall as well.

"They're closing the school?" Toby whispered. "It's that serious?"

"And there was another attack," Ezra whispered back, realizing that the feeling in his legs was slowly disappearing. "Who?"

"What's going on?"

Ezra and Toby whipped around, their hearts ready to explode out of their chests, but they soon both let out a long breath. "Emily!"

Emily held up her hands defensively. "Yeah…"

"What are you doing here?" Toby asked.

Emily lowered her head shamefully. "I was, uh… I was gonna go see Maya."

"I _knew_ it!"

All three jumped at the sound, and Paige ascended from the shadows in the same pair of pajama pants and tank top that she was wearing earlier. "I _knew_ you were going to see her!"

"You _followed_ me?" Emily said angrily, and Paige just held a giant smirk on her face, as Emily's own face turned a deep shade of red.

"Face it Emily, you really _do_ like Maya," Paige said smugly. "I was right all along."

"Have you ever thought that I'm going to visit her to figure that _out?_"

"Man, I'm gonna get fired with all of you out after curfew," Ezra said, leaning back against a pillar as the world started to spin.

"But wait, why are _you_ two up?" Emily asked suspiciously, turning her body so that she was facing Toby and Ezra.

"None of your business!" Toby said defensively, knowing a childish answer would never work on Spencer, but it was worth a shot on Emily.

Emily continued to eye him suspiciously, but then let it go. "Well, can you at least tell me what's going on?"

"Didn't you hear?" Ezra asked, propping himself off of the wall. "There was another attack."

"Oh, I already knew that," Paige said with a small shrug, and all eyes turned toward her.

"You know who was attacked?" Toby asked, surprised. "Who?"

"I saw on my way down here," Paige explained. "On the ground, in front of a window, totally paralyzed."

"_Who?_"

Paige rolled her eyes. It wasn't like this person meant all that much to her anyway, but that didn't make the effect of her words any less chilling.

"_Mona Vanderwaal_."

* * *

**Boom.**


	43. Chapter 43

**I love how you're all acting like I killed Mona. She is still VERY MUCH ALIVE, and still the awesomest person on that entire show. Do you REALLY think I would kill her? For one, I worship the very ground she graces, and for another, I'd rather she NOT come after me in the middle of the night and slit my throat. So Mona is alive still, if that makes you crazy humans feel better.**

**And now the bad news: tomorrow is going to be my last update for a while. A lot of you are wondering what could be wrong with me, and I'll finally answer: someone very dear to me passed away this past weekend, so I'm going to be out of town for several days for her funeral. My next update will be around Monday. Until then, reread what you can, look out for clues, that sort of thing. Just try to prepare yourself, because from this chapter forward, things are REALLY going to start picking up.**

**And with that, I leave you with this chapter. Enjoy.**

* * *

"Wait, she came to you in the middle of the night?"

"It must've been at least midnight," Spencer said, still in a daze as she sipped her butterbeer. The four girls were in The Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade with mugs of butterbeer in front of them. It was the one thing they had to look forward to during the year - especially this year, even when it was supposed to be their best year ever - so they always tried to cherish it as much as possible. Even so, Spencer didn't hesitate to use it as an opportunity to recap on all that she had been through the previous night.

"And she said she was being blackmailed?" Aria said, trying to process all of the new information before her. "Are you sure you believe that?"

"You all were comparing Mona to a Chihuahua earlier," Spencer snapped. "_Now_ you're actually considering not trusting her?"

"The question is, why are _you_ suddenly trusting her?" Hanna inquired haughtily. "Spencer, she admitted to being one of the people behind torturing us since September. She's _working_ for the person who opened the Chamber!"

"Well… she didn't exactly admit to _that_ part," Spencer said unsurely.

"I don't care! I bet it's true," Hanna said stubbornly, taking a giant swig of her butterbeer before slapping it back on the table, the caramel colored drink splashing onto the table in the process. Some of it splashed onto Emily's sleeve, but she ignored it. She had been particularly quiet the entire time, but the other girls were too distracted to comment on it.

"We need to find her," Hanna continued, "and we need to _break_ her to get more information out of her."

"But you just said you don't trust her," Aria pointed out.

"Oh, that's because I don't," Hanna said simply. "Not one bit. But she has answers, and I'm ready to _get_ them."

"Okay, I'm taking this away from you now," Aria said gently as she unraveled Hanna's fingers from the mug.

"Hey!" she protested, but Aria was persistent.

"No! We already have to deal with _Spencer_ going on accusatory rampages of detective work. There's no way we're dealing with two of you, especially when one of you is _drunk_!"

"Excuse me!" Spencer started, but she stopped when something caught her eye. At a nearby table, a couple of older witches were pointing at Spencer and whispering, and she doubted they were talking about how much they loved her new scarf.

"I guess word gets around fast," Spencer muttered. "The article came out yesterday, and now the rumors are coming out today."

Hanna followed Spencer's gaze, and when she saw the gossiping witches she clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned a pale white. With that, she stood up from the table and turned her body fully toward the witches. "You know, I can take a _picture_ for you. It'll last longer!"

Mid-whisper, the witches stopped in their tracks, gawked at Hanna in disgust, and then waddled away. Hanna stuck her chin up proudly before sitting back down and was immediately met with laughter from the other girls.

"But Hanna, you don't even have a camera!" Emily pointed out through her giggles.

"So?" Hanna shrugged. "I'll just grab one off of Rita Skeeter!"

At this Aria scoffed. "I'd love to see the story she makes out of that!" With that, she reached for her ear and undid one of her feather earrings so that she could hold it in her hand like a quill, and then put on her best smirk and nasally voice. "'_Spencer Hastings and her band of thieves decided it'd be a fun prank to steal one of the _Prophet's_ most prized possessions. Petty theft… or food for the beast embedded in the Chamber? I say… BOTH!_'"

The other three girls doubled over in laughter as Aria put the feather back in her ear, but as soon as the laughter died down, an awkward silence took place. This usually happened whenever one of the girls told a joke. It was almost as though they didn't know how to joke anymore; they had lost that ability 5 months ago.

"Guys, I think Mona was telling the truth," Emily finally blurted out, and before Spencer could gloat and Hanna and Aria could argue, Emily went on to explain why.

"What she said to Spencer was important, and someone doesn't want that getting out."

"How do you know this?" Hanna asked.

"Well, I'm gonna take a hunch and say it's because I saw her _lifeless body_ on the ground last night."

Aria lurched forward, spewing her drink all over the table. She ignored Hanna's mangled squeals as she hastily reached for the napkins in the center of the table, cleaning up the mess as she gasped, "Mona. Got. _Attacked?!_"

"In the middle of the night," Emily said mournfully. "Probably shortly after she had that talk with Spencer."

"In the same way Mike and Scorpius and Maya got attacked?" Spencer asked, and Emily nodded her head.

"But that would mean that the other three held valuable information as well, wouldn't it?" Aria pointed out as she piled together all of the used napkins and threw them in a nearby trashcan from her seat. She missed, but she ignored that for now. "I doubt my _baby brother_ knew anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

"Maybe not," Spencer said thoughtfully. "But that gives us information about the beast who's attacking all these people."

"What?"

"It can probably roam freely if it's going after all of these random people," she explained, "but if it goes after Mona when she reveals something, it can probably be _controlled_ as well."

"That tells us _nothing_, Spencer!" Hanna snapped. "That goes for almost all the animals ever!"

"Well, I'm sorry for speaking!" Spencer snapped back. This 'game' had gone on for far too long, and the girls were all getting very irritable. It was getting pretty annoying.

But suddenly, something Emily said rang in Spencer's mind, and she turned to Emily. "Why were you up that late?"

"What?"

"When you saw Mona's body, you said it was late at night," Spencer continued. "Why were you out that late?"

"I wanted to visit Maya," Emily explained. "But… that's another story for another day."

"How'd it go?" Aria asked.

"I don't know, because I didn't get to see her!" Emily said, frustrated. "Something else got in my way."

"What?" Aria asked innocently.

Emily bit her lip, wondering if she should let this out. But Aria had asked, so…

"I saw Ezra and Toby," she confessed.

"_WHAT?_" Spencer and Aria both looked as though someone had shot several volts of electricity up their spines. Aria was the first to speak. "What were they doing?!"

"It looked a lot like they were working together," Emily said, preparing for the final blow.

But even she couldn't prepare herself for Spencer's wrath. "They're working together?" she exclaimed, seething. "Are they… _sleuthing?_"

"Probably, and they had a bunch of books with them. I'm guessing they got them back from Rita Skeeter."

"Well, now that two spouses are sleuthing, I guess it's time I confessed about the third," Aria said sheepishly.

Hanna and Emily both turned their attention to Aria, extremely suspicious. "What third?" Hanna said warningly.

Aria sighed. "Hanna, Caleb's been trying to crack the case as well."

"_WHAT?_" Hanna stood up, nearly knocking over her mug. "How could he _do_ that? I'm going to _kill_ him!"

"Guys, let's calm down," Emily said rationally. "First of all, it's not like either of us are dating them anymore. _Second_ of all, they're just trying to help."

"Easy for you to say," Hanna mumbled bitterly. "I don't see _Paige_ digging her nose into all this bru-ha-ha."

"Believe me, Paige has kept herself busy digging her nose into plenty of other things," Emily muttered under her breath, before pausing, and turning her attention back to Hanna. "Bru-ha-ha?"

"I looked it up," Hanna said with a shrug. "It's not like any of us can think of any other word to describe this mess."

"Guys, focus," Spencer finally said. "Mona's out of the picture now, but there's still Lucas and Noel. Hanna, you can squeeze Lucas like a pimple! Just go after him and make him sing like a canary!"

"Okay, first of all, gross," Hanna said, disgusted. "Second of all, there's no way I'm talking to Lucas after what happened. Do you even realize how awkward things are between us?"

"Of course I do!" Spencer reasoned. "But that doesn't matter right now! All of that awkwardness is because he was blackmailed by a very specific person that we _still_ don't know the identity of."

"And you really think that those two are just gonna _crack_ under pressure and tell us?"

"It's worth a shot!" Spencer said. "I actually feel like we could be getting somewhere, you guys. Maybe this thing could be _over_ soon!"

At this, Aria excused herself to the bathroom. But as she walked away, she muttered, under her breath of course, "Believe me, Spencer, you don't _want_ to be getting somewhere."

* * *

**Side Note: There are a couple of references in here, so try and catch them! What could Aria be hiding? Someone mentioned the idea of one of the girls being behind it... could it be Aria? Sound off in the reviews!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Thank you all for your condolences. I appreciate them more than you know.**

**This chapter is extra short, and I am sorry to have to leave you with that, but it's going to kick off an explosion of action. In just a few chapters, you will find out who A is! Enjoy, and I'll see you all in a few days!**

* * *

While Aria was in the bathroom, the other girls tried to make small talk over their beers, but a familiar mane of long brown hair stalking up to the table interrupted them.

"Got a second?" Caleb said through gritted teeth. He was talking to Spencer, but Hanna jumped at the chance to speak freely to Caleb.

"Do _you_ have a second?" she said angrily, standing up and walking over to him. "I know you're investigating."

"Dammit, Aria," Caleb muttered, but Hanna hit him so hard that his attention was soon fully on her.

"OW!" he said in shock, as well as a little pain. "Hanna!"

"_Why_ are you butting into this?" she just about screamed. "We can handle it on our _own!_"

"Yeah, _clearly_ you can since it's been five months and you all have gotten _nowhere!_"

"Are you downgrading us?" Hanna said threateningly.

"I'm trying to _help_ you, Hanna," Caleb said, his tone softer now. Maybe if he cut out the bad boy act - no matter how attractive he knew she always found it - he could get through to her. "And in order to do that, I need to talk to Spencer."

At this, Spencer had to jump in. "Whatever you have to say to me, you have to say to the rest of the girls. So spill it."

Caleb looked conflicted, but he finally sighed. "Fine. I saw Toby today. We had a nice chat."

Spencer crossed her arms uneasily. "Toby and I are broken up. He doesn't have anything to do with me anymore."

"He does if he's trying to break into the Ravenclaw dorm!" Caleb snapped.

Now Emily was standing up. Toby was her friend just as much, and she didn't want him getting into trouble. "He did what?!"

"What's going on?" Aria asked, now entering the scene.

Caleb whipped around, and marched toward her. "You promised not to tell!"

"I didn't promise anything!" she argued. "And besides, you're not the only rebel in this group. Toby and Ezra are snooping around as well, and it's not long before Paige gets in on the action, too!"

"Well, I gathered that about Toby," Caleb said, and then he faced all the girls at once. "He came up to me, asking for the password to the Ravenclaw dorm."

"Did you give it to him?" Emily asked.

"No!" he said defensively, but after a few expectant stares, he gave up. "That is, not until _after_ I made him give me 20 sickles."

"You little sh - "

"_Spencer_," Hanna said sternly, shooting a glare at Spencer before she could finish that phrase, until she finally relaxed; or at least as much as Spencer _could_ relax. Then she turned to Caleb. "Well, what did he want?"

"He didn't say," Caleb said honestly. "There's gotta be something in there that he wants, though."

Suddenly, Aria stumbled backward, feeling around for the bench and sitting down on it. "I think I know what he's looking for."

"You do?" Spencer immediately dropped to the ground and got right in Aria's face. "What? What is he looking for, Aria?"

Aria put a hand to her head. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Emily, you said Ezra and Toby had a huge pile of books, right?"

"Yeah…" Emily furrowed her brow in confusion, as well as concern. "Why?"

"Aria, are you okay?" Hanna asked, but Aria didn't respond. Her face went from a fair peach color to a sickly pale. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

"Guys, I know what the 'A' means," she said weakly, and each of the girls' ears perked up.

Aria lowered her head. "Last night, Caleb and I figured out that if the 'A' was broken apart…"

"It could be rearranged into three letters," Caleb filled in, understanding what she was referring to. "T, D, and L."

"But that's not all," Aria croaked, and Caleb turned to her, confused.

"There's more?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered, her hands shaking. "T.D.L…. stands for 'The Dark Lord'."

Everyone froze, the hair on his or her arms standing straight up. "What are you saying?" Spencer asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I've thought about it for a while," Aria continued, "and I think it means that whoever opened the Chamber…"

"Are you saying You-Know-Who is back?" Hanna asked, her blue eyes wider than dinner plates.

Aria shook her head. "He's gone, I'm sure of it. But… what if someone is taking his place?"

"Who?"

Before Aria could answer Emily's question – she could hardly get her words out anymore, anyway – Spencer filled in. "The Heir of Slytherin."

Aria slowly nodded her head, and now it was Spencer's turn to sit down. She had had her suspicions for a while that she was the one to open the Chamber, but was she really the next Dark Lord as well?

"Aria, that doesn't answer what Toby is looking for in the Tower," Caleb pried on. "Is it the fang?"

"It could be the fang," Aria said half-convincingly, but the way she said it clarified that this wasn't the answer. "Or…"

"Or what?"

Aria shook her head as she stood up, suddenly determined. "We need to stop Toby. We need to go back to the dorm and get back what he's looking for."

"Aria – "

"_Now_," she said sternly, turning back to the other four, before walking ahead. The girls, and Caleb, were confused, but they followed her back to the castle.


	45. Chapter 45

**I'm back, you guys! And thank you for all of your sweet comments. They were very much appreciated :)**

**Before I get on with this chapter, I have something to show you all:**

**www . you tube /watch?v=yi_NIX_aUws**

**That, my dear friends, is a youtube link to a trailer for my story made by everyone's favorite badass Hufflepuff: ShadowsOnTheMoon. Give it a watch, because it was so very kind of her to make it and she clearly put a good amount of effort into it. It's really, REALLY good!**

**Now to make up for the extra short chapter I left you all with last time, here is a super LONG one to keep you occupied. It's got some really good stuff in here, too, comedy wise AND action wise, so hold onto your socks!**

* * *

Toby walked uneasily into the girls' dormitory. He used all the tricks that Caleb told him to use in getting in, but he still felt like a gargoyle was going to come out of nowhere and smack him across the face. Even so, he took a giant step into the dorm, and allowed himself to breathe.

_If I were a book filled with restricted material, where would I hide? _Toby thought to himself as he sifted his way through the room, which was littered with clothes hanging on chairs, textbooks spewed across the floor, and, to his horror, a bra hanging off of one of the bedposts.

Finally, something caught his eye. Next to what he guessed was Aria's bed, due to the picture frame holding a picture of her and her family on the windowsill, was a dresser. On the dresser was a cage holding a snowy white owl, and _next_ to that…

_Bingo_, Toby thought as he walked over to the dresser, ready to get his hands on the thick book on the dresser. There was a layer of dust on it, so he let out a long breath to blow it off. Specks of lint and dust flew everywhere, and he wiped his hand across the cover to reveal the title.

_The Chamber of Secrets: Where We Are Today_.

_Damn_, Toby thought morbidly as he picked up the book, flipping mindlessly through its pages. _What could possibly be in here? And why is it with Aria, and not with Spencer?_

Suddenly, the owl in the cage started screeching, pecking at the bars of the cage in a less-than-affectionate manner. Toby freaked out, nearly dropping the book. He set it down on the dresser before attending to the owl.

"Shhh!" he said frantically. "Shut up. No, shut up! I'm serious, be quiet!"

"He's not gonna listen if you talk to him like that."

Toby whipped around, his heart ready to explode out of his chest. But it returned to a normal rhythm when he saw who it was.

The straight, chestnut hair and knowing smirk indicated that he was standing before none other than Paige McCullers.

Paige was a Gryffindor, not a Ravenclaw, so she wouldn't be _as_ offended that he was in here.

"Relax," she said breezily when she saw the panicked expression on his face. "I'm not gonna report you or anything."

"You're not?" he breathed thankfully, but then he paused. "Wait… what are _you_ doing here?"

"I followed you," she said simply.

Toby leaned back slightly, more confused than ever. "Why?"

"Because I know what you're doing, and I want in," she said determinedly. "I want to protect the girls, _especially_ Emily, just as much."

Toby didn't respond; he was still trying to process everything. As soon as he returned to his senses, he reached behind him to pick up the book in question, and then held it out to Paige. "This book," he spoke, "might answer majority of the questions we've been asking."

"It might?"

"If we're right about it," Toby confirmed with a nod of his head. "And I really, _really_ think we are."

"That's where you're wrong, Cavanaugh."

Paige and Toby jerked their heads in the direction of the voice, and to their horror, Lucas emerged from under the sheets on one of the bedposts on the far side of the room. He took a minute to wrinkle his nose, nearly gagging from the strong smell of perfume, but then stepped off of the bed. "Hand the book over."

At this, Toby and Paige simply burst out laughing. Lucas could try all he wanted, but he was _far_ from intimidating.

Lucas bristled. "I'm serious!" he said, his voice cracking. "Hand it over if you want to see those you love survive."

Now Toby was just angry. He stopped guffawing as he hugged the book closer to his chest. "Not a chance," he said venomously.

"Look, I'm on your side, I promise," Lucas said, now completely serious. "But if that book gets in the wrong hands, it could all go crashing down."

"What's in it?" Paige asked. Lucas just hung his head.

"Bad things," he said in a voice too gravelly to be his own. "_Very_ bad things."

"How are you on our side if you were just threatening us earlier?" Toby asked. "Or at least… _attempting_ to threaten us?"

"It's complicated," Lucas said, holding his hand up to signal that they should all move on. "But the girls will be up here any minute. You have to get out of here."

"Why are they coming?" Paige asked, now scared.

"Because they're catching on, and I can't let that happen!"

"Why can't you let that happen?"

"I told you, it's complicated!" Lucas exclaimed stubbornly, and with that he darted out of the room, leaving Paige and Toby staring after him in wonderment.

But not for long.

"C'mon, I know a shortcut," Paige said quickly, moving over to the nearest window and undoing the hinges.

"How do you know a shortcut?" Toby asked, a little shocked.

Paige just looked behind her, the same knowing smirk from before still etched upon her face. "Please. McCullers may be my _last_ name, but my middle name is most _definitely_ Batman, and Batman knows _all_ of the shortcuts."

* * *

Lucas trotted down the stairs at top speed, but he soon found he was too late. At the bottom of the steps, simply waiting for him, were the four girls, Caleb in tow.

"Shit," he muttered, retreating up the stairs, but a strong, thin arm whipped him around. Once he had been fully turned back around, that strong, thin arm slapped him straight across the face.

"_You're_ the one that gave Caleb that picture!" Hanna shouted. "_You're_ the one who's been trying to torture us this entire year!"

"I'm not, I promise!" he said sincerely as he rubbed the welt that was forming on his cheek, trying not to wince in pain. "I mean, yeah, I did that, but it was only because I was being told to!"

"Who was telling you to?" Hanna said threateningly, grabbing Lucas by the scruff of his robe collar, while the others, Caleb especially, stayed back in amazement. Spencer was right; Hanna certainly _could_ squeeze Lucas like a pimple.

"Hanna, I can't tell you that!" he squeaked. "Do you want me to end up like Mona?"

"If it means ending this thing, then we'll take that chance," Caleb said, stepping forward. Spencer, Emily, and Aria did the same, making a small semicircle around Hanna and Lucas.

Lucas squealed in fear, trying to break free, but Hanna just tightened her grip. "Okay! Okay!" he squeaked, finally cracking. "I owe you at least a little something."

"A little _something?_" Hanna scoffed. "You owe us a lot more than that!"

"I can't tell you who she is," Lucas said. "But I can tell you where she's hiding."

As he said this, Spencer noticed that he was looking straight at her. Was she just imagining that? Was she being paranoid? Or was she _really_ a part of this without even knowing?

But as soon as they locked eyes, Lucas turned away. "The Room of Requirement," he said in a low voice. "Do you know where that is?"

Spencer felt her breath catch in her throat. "I do," she said weakly.

Lucas just kept going. "Good," he said affirmatively. "Go there, walk around it three times, and think about this: the perfect hideout for if you were planning on purifying the wizarding world."

Aria felt her skin prickle. "Jesus..."

Emily gulped loudly, and Hanna loosened her grip on Lucas's collar. "I take it you've been in there?" she sneered.

"No! No!" he said defensively. "I haven't, I promise! I'm not even supposed to know about it."

"Then how do you?" Aria spoke up.

"I followed her there one night," he breathed, still gasping for air. He could still feel the spot on his neck where Hanna had grappled the hell out of it. "Then I kept going back, making sure she wasn't there when I did it. It took me ages to figure out how to get in, but I finally found it."

"I'm _so_ sick of all these pronouns!" Hanna said frustratedly, letting go of Lucas completely to kick the nearest stair rail. "She, her, _it_? Lucas, _who is she?_"

But as soon as he was out of Hanna's grasp, Lucas ducked down and made his great escape. He pushed his way past the girls, and with Caleb he had some difficulty, but then managed to sprint out of the hall.

"Dammit!" Caleb said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"No, guys, it's okay!" Spencer said, now extremely confident. "We have this, now. Let's go to the Room of Requirement!"

With that, she took off. Caleb ran ahead, and so did Hanna. Emily started to, but she stopped when she saw Aria staying in place on the stairs.

"Aria, c'mon," Emily said, grabbing Aria's hand and pulling her forward. Aria went along, but she couldn't help but look behind her as she did so.

She wasn't just scared for the result. She was borderline terrified.

* * *

**AfterEllen readers? Are you breathing? Anyway, Lucas just gave up a tasty bit of information, and both Spencer AND Aria seem like they're hiding something. Could it be true? Is Team Sparia evil? Sound off in the reviews!**

**PS: Who here is excited for 4B? I KNOW I AM! There have been several tweets lately by the writers and directors saying that Lucy Hale is going to blow us all away. Spencer-type breakdown? I think yes. My heart is going to be shattered into multiple pieces, but I'm a sucker for good acting, so I suppose it's a good sacrifice for a few tears ;)**

**PPS: 15 DAYS until the Halloween episode!**


	46. Chapter 46

**I actually have the best reviewers in the world. One of you actually thought I would forget about you while I was gone. Of COURSE not! Not a second went by where I wasn't thinking about each and every one of you and how much I missed your wonderful reviews.**

**So as you could have guessed, I've been very scatterbrained lately, so I forgot to mention a few things last chapter. First of all, I've gotten to 600 reviews, and that is INCREDIBLE! Thank you all so much for being so lovely. Second of all, this chapter is the one. This is the chapter where you find out who A is... it was supposed to be two separate chapters, which is why I didn't prepare you as well, but they were both ridiculously short so I ended up combining them.**

**So here's what I want you all to do: before you read this, take a moment to breathe, and work out your guesses in your head. Then write them down. So once you finish this chapter, type in your original guess and THEN your reaction to the real thing. I'm asking you all to keep your word here. Please comply.**

**And now, without further ado... the climax to this story. I've been waiting for forever for this moment, so I really hope you all enjoy. Oh, and as always, but especially this time, review your pretty little FACES off!**

* * *

"How'd you find out about this room?" Hanna asked as the four girls stalked down the hall up to the corridor on the seventh floor, where this secret room apparently was located.

"I read about it somewhere," Spencer said breezily, but deep down she was scared. How convenient was it that she, out of all her friends, out of all the people in this school, knew about this room?

The girls had left Caleb behind, claiming they could do this on their own. They also needed someone to keep guard of the castle while they tracked down the room, and he was doing just that with the Marauder's Map ("I can't believe this room doesn't show up on the map! _Nothing_ escapes the map!").

Once they got to the left corridor, Spencer pointed at a tapestry on the far side, showing Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. It was a sculpted depiction of an ancient tale.

Spencer turned back to them. "Alright, now we just do what Lucas said: walk around this thing three times and think about – "

"I know what we're thinking about," Aria said abruptly, holding her hand up. The last thing she wanted to think about was purifying the wizarding world. As a muggle born, she tried to avoid that topic of conversation.

Spencer sighed. "Yeah, you guys know what to do. Let's go."

The girls walked around the tapestry, feeling like idiots doing it, but still keeping that horrible mindset: _We need a hideout that will help us in purifying the wizarding world. We need a hideout that will help us in purifying the wizarding world. We need a hideout that will help us in purifying the wizarding world._

Within minutes, a door appeared. It wasn't a particularly special looking door; it was a deep shade of burgundy, and had hinges and edges and a knob like all other doors. But when Spencer reached for the knob to open it, it was made clear that this was no ordinary door.

As they entered through the door, the room they had entered was unlike anything either girl had ever seen before. Before them was a small, round table, with a desk chair in front of it. On the table was a small crystal ball, and neither girl could guess what would happen if you rubbed it. And even _further_ down were bookshelves. So many bookshelves. And they stretched on even further than either of the girls could see. It was unclear what kind of books were on the shelves, but the girls didn't need to do so much as exchange a look to realize that they didn't hold the secret recipe for a kickass apple pie.

_This looks familiar,_ Spencer thought to herself. Way_ too familiar._

Spencer took a chance and walked forward even further, past the round table and over to the bookshelves. She ran her hands along the shelves, feeling along the smooth surface of the wood as she walked along the aisle. _It's all so familiar. But why?_

Of course.

Suddenly, Spencer's breath caught in her throat as she whipped around to the other girls. Startled, the other three took a step back simultaneously.

"Spencer, what's wrong?" Emily asked concernedly.

"I know who it is," Spencer breathed, her heart pounding in her ears. This couldn't be happening. This really couldn't be happening.

Oh, but it was.

"You do?" Hanna took a giant step forward toward Spencer, grabbing her hands. "Who? Who is it?"

Spencer leaned backward, pressing her back against the bookcase. "I… I know because I had a dream about it. This was all in my dream."

"Wait, you _dreamed_ all of this?" Aria repeated.

Spencer nodded her head. "I thought it was just the stress getting to me, but I think it's true. In my dream, I was in this exact same place. And… I kept hearing _voices_."

"Voices?"

"Not regular voices though," Spencer continued. "They weren't… human."

"Well, what else could they be?" Emily asked.

"Snake voices," Spencer said quietly after a few seconds had passed.

At this, Aria paled. "Wait… so you're – "

"A Parselmouth, yeah," Spencer said, bowing her head. "Just like the Heir of Slytherin."

"Spencer, what are you saying?" Hanna asked carefully. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Spencer was really starting to scare her.

Spencer put her hand up to her throbbing head, nearly smearing the sweat from her palm all over it. "Look, in my dream, the snake voices kept saying to look in the glass."

"The glass?"

"There was a panel of glass," Spencer said, feeling lightheaded as she continued talking. She wanted so much to just slide down the bookshelf and curl up into a ball, but she couldn't. She had to hold herself up and keep telling the story. "Like a… a mirror. And when I walked up to it, I just presumed it was a mirror. And the snake was telling me that when I looked into the 'mirror', I'd see the Heir of Slytherin. I'd see the person behind all of this."

"And?"

"And the person in the glass looked exactly like me," Spencer said breathily, her speech wearing out slightly. She was going to be sick, she just knew it. "But I know now."

"Spencer, what do you know?" Aria egged on.

Spencer finally lifted her head. "I know that it wasn't me."

All of the other three girls fell into silence. Aria could feel the pace of her heart quickening, to the point that it was going to explode out of her chest. _No. Spencer's going to figure it out. She can't know!_

"What?" Emily finally said as she tilted her head to the side. "Spencer, how could it be you? Why would you even consider that?"

"I've had my suspicions for a while," Spencer said softly. "For one, there was my dream. And a few months ago, I discovered that I'm a Parselmouth. And with the article Rita Skeeter did – "

"But Rita Skeeter doesn't know anything, Spencer," Hanna said comfortingly.

Spencer bowed her head, staring down at her wobbling knees. "That's not important now, though. Not after what I just figured out."

"What, Spence?"

"A snake," Spencer blurted out, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If my dream is correct, that means there's a snake loose in the school. And the _one_ snake that is able to petrify students like that is the one that was destined to be in the Chamber all along."

"The Basilisk?" Aria asked, hoping her voice didn't give away how dry her throat felt. "Spencer, we talked about this. That thing is dead!"

"Not if it's brought back to life," Spencer said absently. Her eyes had a dead look in them, as though the horrid knowledge that they held was sucking the life out of them completely. "In my dream, the person in the glass that I thought was me was holding something. I thought it was just an old rock, but…"

"It's the resurrection stone?" Aria gasped, internally scolding herself for feigning figuring it out so quickly. "And they used it on the Basilisk?"

"Exactly." Spencer nodded her head weakly, still staring blankly ahead. "And it all fits, you guys. If the Basilisk was roaming this school this whole time, I should've been able to hear it talk, right? But someone must've _known_ about that, and told it to keep quiet."

"The Heir of Slytherin," Emily answered. "They can also speak Parseltongue!"

"And they've let it roam free around the school, petrifying people – "

"Who were in front of _windows,_" Hanna piped in, happy to have figured something out. "All the attacks were in front of windows, remember? They were all in that same hall!"

"Yes! And that's why no one has been killed!" Spencer explained. "But its aim is to kill. Especially muggle borns. That was the whole point of the Chamber in the first place."

"But what about the fangs?" Emily asked. "What do those have to do with it?"

"Well, that leads me to who's behind this," Spencer said, her voice reaching the lowest octave it could as she propped herself off of the bookcase and turned toward the far end of the hall, narrowing her eyes as she did so. "I can think of one person. One person who hates me, and as an effect all of you, enough to make us feel like we're in danger, and send us those fangs to make us feel like we're targeted. One person who's ambitious and controlling enough to want this much power, to want to rid the world of muggles just as Salazar Slytherin intended. One person who thinks they're great enough to follow Voldemort's footsteps. _One person_ who fits the criteria of the Heir of Slytherin in the same way that I thought that I have since we _share some of the same DNA._"

As Spencer spoke these words, there was an earth shattering noise at the far end of the room, and the other three girls ducked, shielding their faces and their ears from the sound. But Spencer stood her ground firmly, still looking far ahead at the source of the noise.

The very same panel of glass that Spencer saw in her dream, the one she thought was a mirror and had _nearly_ convinced her that she was unknowingly behind all of this, shattered to pieces. Spencer took a few steps forward – not so close that she could get hurt, but close enough that she could face the person who was about to emerge from the glass. Sure enough, a hand shot out of the glass, feeling its way around as it removed each shard from the puzzle, creating a small crater for them to make their way out of.

"_Reducto!_" a menacing voice shouted, and the glass still intact in the frame completely combusted, and a very familiar person stepped out of it, her slim frame decked out in a pair of black skinny jeans and a slightly-too-big hoodie.

"Congratulations, sis," Melissa cooed, a malicious smile on her face as she clenched her fist, completely immune to the blood trickling from her palm and the pain that came with it. "You figured it out."

* * *

**Boom.**

**A couple of you did guess that it was Melissa, so hats off to you. So now that the girls know who A is, things are REALLY going to heat up. And I mean REALLY! The next ten chapters (also the last ten :( might as well tell you all now) are going to be so action packed that after reading them you won't even be able to tell which hand is your left and which is your right. So take the next 24 hours, more or less, to catch your breath, and I'll see you on the other side! Don't forget to review your faces off!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Heh heh... hey there.**

**Alright, I have been FLOODED with homework lately, trying to play catch up with the horror that IS school, so I am not ready to reply to reviews JUST YET, but I want you to know that I read ALL of them. Never have I ever skipped over a review in my life. SO, besides thanking you for all of your love like I always do (that should be implied by this point because y'all are so amazing that I say it every day), I'm going to answer some FAQs:**

**1) Melissa. WHY Melissa? HOW Melissa? Well, my dears, if you go back and read through, you will see VERY SUBTLE HINTS that I dropped toward it being her. You could already see the tension between her and Spencer during that very first chapter, and some of you started to get suspicious of her early on once Spencer discovered she could speak Parseltongue. Also, the dream that Spencer had was explained last chapter. It was Melissa sending her a message. Voldemort was able to do the same to Harry because of the connection that they shared, and clearly Spencer and Melissa have a connection of sorts... I mean they're SIBLINGS for crying out loud! Also, at one point Ezra points out to Spencer that the Heir doesn't have to attend Hogwarts, and if you read the prologue to this story, now knowing that it was indeed Melissa speaking, you can tell that the person does not attend the school (or at least not anymore). There were many other hints that I dropped throughout, and the skeletons in Melissa's closet and why she did it will all be answered in the next few chapters. The Hastingses have some baggage to carry around, I'll say that, and that baggage is about to explode in everyone's faces. You know how some people load luggage on the backs of their cars for road trips and the luggage ends up falling off of the back and popping open in the middle of the road? And clothes and shoes and makeup are spewed everywhere? Yeah. Like that.**

**2) Aria. As you all can infer, Aria is hiding something. That doesn't necessarily mean that she is evil, but she definitely knows something that she is not letting on. That also will be explained in the next string of chapters. Remember, Aria was looking suspicious early on when she snuck into the restricted section of the library. She saw something in there that freaked her out, and from then on out was very skittish whenever it seemed like the girls were getting closer to figuring something out... yet she herself was working hard to figure it out as well. Just keep that in mind... AND keep in mind what Toby found in her dorm room. The two connect to something very big next chapter, where it is all explained.**

**3) What happens next. Many things. Many MANY things. There is a good 10 more chapters left of this story, and SO much happens. Even though the biggest question on all of your minds was answered, we've still got another chunk of the story to go, and while you'd think it shouldn't contain much since the biggest plot point is resolved, I promise you it is PACKED. There is action, there is romance, there is drama, and there. Are. TEARS. And it all takes place on the same day. This next series of chapters is probably the best work I've ever done on any story I've ever written. It all ties together in an insane, horrifying, amazing way, and I can't WAIT for you all to read it!**

**Now, without further ado... enjoy :)**

* * *

The four girls gawked, and Melissa flashed an evil grin before swiftly lifting her wand, pointing it remorselessly at her sister. "_Stupefy!_"

Aria darted her eyes toward Spencer, realized before anyone else where the spell was directed.

"Spencer, look out!" she screamed, leaping up to push Spencer to the ground and out of the way of the spell. Both girls fell to the ground as the flash of scarlet shot out of the wand, right past them, and into the brick wall about 20 feet away, shattering it to pieces.

Melissa stared at the place where the wall had exploded before turning back to the girls, glaring straight at Aria. "You'll pay for that, you little bitch."

Emily and Hanna managed to dodge the spell, too, diving out of the way just in time. Without even taking a moment to think about it, Emily, sprawled across the floor, held out her wand and screamed, "_Imperio!_"

Within seconds, Melissa stiffened. Emily's arm was shaking, but she lowered her wand, still keeping a firm grip on it as she sent Melissa to the ground, completely in power; completely in control every thought, every move Melissa made from then on out. But no sooner had Melissa dropped did she immediately leap back up, much to the girls' surprise.

She whipped her head toward Emily, murder crystal clear in her brown eyes. "Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, my dear?"

Emily felt her breath catch in her throat as Melissa took small, slow, gradual steps toward her. She knew she wasn't ready for that kind of power. She knew it would backfire against her. Why did she have to ruin everything?

"You need to _mean_ them!" Melissa said eerily. "You need to really want to cause pain. To _enjoy_ it. Righteous anger won't hurt me for long."

She then gave all four of the girls a once-over before flashing an ingenuous smile that, underneath the surface, dripped with malice. "I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a _lesson_."

Emily stood still, her limbs turning to jelly as Melissa continued to stare at her, taking seconds, _minutes_, to deliver the final blow. After several moments of suspense, Melissa finally lifted her wand. "_Crucio!_"

Emily gasped as she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst. But she didn't feel searing pain. She didn't feel her entire body go weak as the curse took over her, torturing her entirely. She did, however, hear a blood curdling scream. Confused, she shot her eyes open, wondering what could be happening.

Hanna was on the ground now, writhing in agony as the Cruciatus curse consumed her, letting out strangled sobs as the pain, the torture, increased. Hanna continued to shout, to plead, for the pain to stop, but it just kept going, getting more and more intense the longer Melissa's wand was held. She felt herself start to slip away, no longer knowing where she was or _who_ she was as the curse creeped over her, like knives piercing into every inch of her skin.

Spencer, recovering from the wind being knocked out of her by Aria saving her, shot up out of her repose. "Melissa, STOP! What are you doing?!"

"Please, stop!" Aria begged, desperation clear in her tone as she stared helplessly at Hanna.

Melissa just cackled loudly as Hanna continued to scream, begging for it to end, even if it meant ending _her_. But she didn't end. She didn't die. She just kept digging deeper and deeper into the torture.

"Ooh, I love it!" Melissa exclaimed gleefully. "I feel so ALIVE!"

"Stop it!" Emily shouted, still not believing that Melissa was torturing Hanna at her expense. "Leave her alone!"

Just as Hanna felt herself finally start to slip away, maybe even for good, she felt a relief in pressure, and she very faintly heard someone shout, "_Expelliarmus!_"

When she looked up, she saw through her blurred vision a jet of red light shoot through the air, sending Melissa's wand flying out of her hand and over to the other side of the room.

The other three girls looked up, finding Caleb standing before them, hatred clear in his dark features as he stared down Melissa. "Another step closer, and it's over. I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve to end you."

Melissa just rolled her eyes, and Spencer felt like she could see a bit of the sister she knew in her actions. The annoying, pretentious bitch that she had still somehow learned to love because she was still her sister, and she still cared about her.

"Oh please," Melissa shrugged, and with that, Spencer immediately saw the evil return. "Like you'll ever be able to end me."

Nevertheless, she sprinted off toward her wand. In that time, Caleb rushed over to Hanna, scooping her up in his arms like she was a baby. He then turned to the other three. "Let's go, before she gets back. _Now!_"

Immediately, all three girls scrambled to their feet, dashing toward the door, which was several yards away since the room was so big. Aria sprinted toward the door along with everyone else, but fell behind when her foot caught on something hard; the leg of a chair, she presumed. She fell forward, collapsing onto her stomach with an _oomph_. But she immediately pushed herself up off of the ground, ignoring the throbbing pain in her foot, before shooting off toward the door.

But she was too late.

Melissa had fully caught up to her, yanking her frail arm and pulling Aria toward her. Aria yelped as she lurched backwards, and Melissa spun her fully around so that she was facing her. She cracked her famous conniving grin as she whispered, "Oh goodie. I get to deal with the little one first."

* * *

Caleb opened the door to the Room of Requirement, leaving it open wide enough for the girls to run through, and then shut it closed, collapsing against it as he held Hanna close to him. The gang was all huffing and puffing, gasping for air as their heart rates gradually slowed. Emily and Spencer were both kneeling forward, feeling their hearts thud against their chests as though ready to burst out completely. But they knew their hearts wouldn't manage to actually escape their bodies, and they tried to work the thought into their minds that they _themselves_ had managed to escape. For now, they were safe.

Caleb looked down at Hanna, who was completely limp in his embrace. A tear escaped his right eye as he gently shook her. "Hanna?" he croaked. "Hanna, please!"

This caught Emily and Spencer's attention, and they got up from the ground and ran over to where Caleb was sitting. He stroked Hanna's hair, trying to get some sort of reaction out of her, but she remained still. A suppressed sob escaped Caleb's throat as he continued to beg for Hanna to awaken. "Please wake up," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you." He paused to paw at his eyes, wiping the tears that had managed to escape. "I shouldn't have left you when you needed me most!" he screamed.

Spencer and Emily sat there, staring helplessly at Caleb as he slowly started to lose it. The one person he loved, more than anything in the world, was slipping away. Spencer reached out for Caleb's arm encouragingly. "Caleb," she said softly, "remember, the Cruciatus curse isn't meant to kill. She's still in there somewhere; you just have to keep pushing!"

Caleb gulped back the rest of his tears as he looked back down to Hanna. He leaned down and planted a supple kiss on her pink lips, lingering longer than usual in hopes that he would spark some life into her by doing so. He parted slowly, whispering into her fair face, "Please wake up. I... I love you."

As if by command, Hanna stirred, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Caleb?"

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief as he engulfed Hanna in a hug, tears finally pouring down his face. "Don't scare me like that again!"

"Fine," Hanna said, her voice muffled by being smushed into Caleb's shoulder. He pulled back to get a good look at her. She gave him a weak smile as she added, "But only as long as we don't break up again."

"Deal," Caleb said with a small, tear-infested giggle as he gave Hanna one more hug, promising himself, and Hanna, that he would never let go.

"Umm, hate to break your moment..." Spencer said in the background, causing Hanna and Caleb to reluctantly break apart. But when they saw Spencer's face drain of all color, they were immediately attentive.

"Where's Aria?" Spencer weakly whispered. Shocked, all four shot up off of the ground, looking around to see if Aria had walked to a nearby area. But she was nowhere in sight.

"Where did she go?" Emily frantically asked. But no sooner had the words left her mouth did all four stop in their tracks as a horrendous, torturous wail pierced the air.

* * *

"I know it was you who stole that book from me," Melissa whispered into Aria's ear. She had her pinned to the ground, her face so close to Aria's that Aria could immediately tell, just by the feel of Melissa's hot breath against her ivory skin, everything that Melissa had to eat that day.

Aria whimpered as Melissa's face inched closer and closer to hers. "That book was hidden in a safe place," Melissa growled, her voice steadily increasing in volume with each syllable. "How did you get to it?"

Aria closed her eyes, trying her hardest to make herself pass out, to block out everything happening before her eyes, but she couldn't. She started to cry as Melissa hissed in her ear, "The restricted section. In the library at Hogwarts. Did you and your friends take from that SECTION?!"

"I didn't take anything!" Aria said softly, letting out a strangled sob as she said it. "P-please, I didn't take anything!" She took a risk and opened her eyes, but immediately shut them again when she saw Melissa's crazed eyes directly in front of hers, fury clear as day in them as she held Aria's shaking body in her grasp.

"I don't believe it," Melissa purred mockingly, and to Aria's surprise she felt a relief in pressure. But as soon as she felt it, as soon as she managed to take some form of a breath, the pressure returned, instead concentrated directly on her forearm. Aria let out a long, chilling scream as Melissa took a knife, carefully carving directly into the smooth surface of Aria's skin. Aria screamed again, flailing under Melissa's weight, but Melissa was unstirred. She just kept carving, resistant to Aria's helpless wails. Aria felt herself trembling as the knife torturously traced along the lines of her veins, slicing across every single one. Where had Melissa even _gotten_ a knife? The pain was excruciating, hitting every single nerve in her body as it made itself noticed. Aria would've taken the Cruciatus curse any day over this.

"WHO STOLE IT, THEN?!" Melissa screamed. "WHO. STOLE. IT?!"

Aria just continued to shake her head, her cries declining to small, pitiful whimpers, and her body shaking tremendously as she felt the blood ooze out of her arm. It was falling out fast, and she was already becoming lightheaded.

Suddenly, she felt a release, only this time it held. She felt Melissa hop up off of her, and could feel the vibrations on the concrete as Melissa's feet met the ground, step by step. Soon, she heard no sound at all, except for the _whoosh_ of Melissa disapparating out of the room. When she dared to open her eyes, Melissa was gone.

With difficulty, Aria held up her trembling arm so that she could see the damage that Melissa had done. But the damage actually done was so much worse than anything Aria could have imagined.

Carved into her arm, oozing her own dark, red, thick blood, was only an 8 letter word, but it held meaning far beyond those 8 letters.

_Mudblood_.

Aria held her gaze on the word as tears finally met the front of her eyes, and she was still staring intently at it when her eyes finally drooped, sending her into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Confession time: I wrote this chapter early on, and saved it on a google doc so that I could include it in the story later. It is very dear to me, and it includes one of my FAVORITE scenes from any of the 8 Harry Potter films; one that I absolutely KNEW, from the day I started writing this story, I wanted to include. I sincerely hope you all guess it. There are a total of two references in here, both involving one of my FAVORITE characters from the series. I'll give you a hint: one reference is from the books, one is from the movies. 1... 2... 3... BREAK!**

**So the battle begins. Blood has been shed, and the stakes are higher than they've ever been. Keep reading to find out more, and don't forget to review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER if you liked it!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Alright, you all are so fabulous that I HAVE to reply to your reviews. I just HAVE TO! But first of all, references:**

**"Never used an Unforgivable curse before, have you, my dear?" That was said by Bellatrix Lestrange TO Harry after he tried performing the Cruciatus curse on her for killing Sirius Black... like, that was her response. After she had just killed his godfather... cheeky little bitch.**

**And then that whole torture scene between Melissa and Aria. If you'll recall from the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the same scene happened between Bellatrix and Hermione, only instead of the library and the book it was the vault and Godric Gryffindor's sword. Such a chilling scene... everyone look it up right now and watch it over and over again, because it truly is a terrific scene.**

**NOW REVIEWS!**

**Renesmee27: Yeah, you got one! Nice job.  
JosieCarter: Thank you so much! It's something I really love to do, so it's good to know that I'm doing it right! And yes, she certainly is a bitch. And squeamish? Good. Looks like I'm doing my job right ;) and actually, Ezra may or may not enter the scene in this chapter! Read on to find out.  
AL3110: Oh, I know what scene you're referring to. I actually didn't think of that! Yeah, bringing back all of the spells has given me a good case of nostalgia, I'll say that. Thanks for the review once again!  
Silver-Infinite: Well, no because Voldemort and Bellatrix never had any children, but good guess!  
hufflepuffhaleb: Melissa is really insane in my story, I'm gonna be honest, so she and Bellatrix definitely have some similarities. And Haleb XD you didn't really think they could stay apart for THAT long, did you? And I had a better day today, so I am feeling a little better :) thanks!  
Sarah: Well, I'll give her an A for effort! Makes up for her F for execution. And HAHAHA, I love Aria to death, she's my favorite... I just have a REALLY weird way of showing it (making bad things happen to people in my stories is my way of showing love for them). Plus, as a fellow Slytherin, you MUST know by now that the rules are dead to us. DEAD. And no, don't give up! Keep writing! I have a feeling you're a really good one ;D  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: Heh heh... sorry. My aim is never to kill. To quote the ever loyal Dobby himself, "Dobby NEVER meant to kill! Dobby only meant to MAME or seriously injure!" I knew it had to get to you at some point, though. You were surprisingly tame last chapter!  
Sgdp1261: Well, Melissa just did, so... ;) and the last chapter was one of the hardest to write, but DEFINITELY one of the most fun, because it really is one of my favorite scenes from the movies. And you're right about Emma Watson, she KILLED IT! And well, actually Hanna didn't save Emily; Melissa just faked Emily out and then pointed her wand at Hanna. But it would be cute if it were the other way around! And well, now you don't have to wait because you have the next chapter!  
Forever Courage: It's one of my favorites, too! Thank you! Well, better pull out a pacemaker, because your heart rate will NOT be slowing down any time soon. It's really just beginning ;)  
Guest: Thank you!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Yes. Yes it did :) and I had to add in SOME adorableness! I couldn't just have poor Aria getting tortured without adding some balance to the equation. Thanks again!  
elggup: Speechless? Man. And actually, I don't know if Melissa is completely heartless. Crazy? Yes. COLD-hearted? Yes. And while there might not be good, or LOVE, in her her heart, she feels something... toward one of the girls in particular.  
UngluckLiebhaber: Wow, THANK you! That means so much because I wanted it to be PERFECT! Imagery was exactly what I was going for, you hit on everything I was aiming for. Thanks again XD  
OfSilverArrowsAndSnowflakes: Holy mother of all reviews, WHAT? This has to be the nicest review I've ever gotten. THANK YOU! I'm so happy you're enjoying the story :D I try to do whatever I can to please my reviewers, and references is a qualification for that, so I try to fit in as many as possible! And Aria's tininess is the main reason I love her because I can relate to her, haha. Thanks again, and hope to see more of you in the reviews!  
izzyecw: Yep!  
Bagilia: Aww, I'm so sorry! :( I'm gonna be honest, you did seem a lot moodier, but it adds more hilarity so I'm okay with it! I figured you'd enjoy that little reunion. And yes it was, there is no countdown! The Haleb reunion happened! And wait, can we just talk about how I simply mentioned it would be cool to reach 1000 reviews and you took that as a cue to review basically EVERY CHAPTER in my story?! I don't care if I didn't reach 700, that is literally the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me. Slytherins with hearts are the best kind of Slytherins XD thank you SO much!**

**And now, the downward spiral continues... enjoy ;D**

* * *

"Aria! Aria!"

Spencer kept screaming and banging on the door to the Room of Requirement, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge.

It was locked.

"She's stuck in there," Spencer cried, before turning back to the other three. "She's stuck in there, and Melissa's probably torturing her!"

"Here, let me try," Emily said frantically, pushing her way past Spencer and tugging at the doorknob. But she stopped halfway through tugging when she heard Aria's cries cease.

"She stopped screaming," Emily said softly.

"That's good, right?" Hanna offered up, but her enthusiasm did not match up with the grim looks on the others' faces. "What? That means Melissa stopped with the torture!"

"Yeah, or it could mean something else," Spencer said morbidly as she pushed past Emily and threw herself at the door, hoping it would at least budge. "Aria! Answer us!"

"Here, let me have a go," Caleb intervened, taking his wand back out of his pocket and pointing it straight at the door knob. "_Alohomora!_"

Immediately, the door knob clicked as the lock turned, and Caleb immediately turned the knob as it did so. The door swung open, leaving a clear path for the gang. They all raced into the room, nearly bumping into each other as they did so.

When they got to Aria, out cold on the ground with blood pouring out of her arm, the girls nearly fainted, but Caleb snapped them out of it by running forward to tend to her wounds. He kneeled on the ground and reached for her wrist.

"She still has a pulse," he said urgently. "Is there anything to stop the flow of blood?"

"You can use my scarf," Emily offered up, starting to unravel the scarf around her neck, but Hanna stopped her.

"I remember a healing spell that'll work," she said quickly, kneeling to the ground and pulling her wand out of the pocket of her jeans. "_Vulnera Sanentur!_"

Immediately, the blood flow eased up, and even started to clear up. That was the good news. The bad news had to do with what was revealed to be carved upon Aria's arm.

"Oh, Aria," Spencer whispered sadly as she lightly traced her fingers along the "M" in "Mudblood".

Caleb bit his lip, shaken by the sight of the carvings on Aria's arm. "Umm... maybe the scarf isn't such a bad idea."

Caleb didn't need to tell Emily twice, because at the clear sight of the wound on Aria's arm, she was already in the process of unraveling her scarf again. She gave it to Caleb, and Caleb immediately wove it around Aria's arm, pressing down as he did so. The other three girls knelt next to her as well, shaking her gently and trying to get her to wake up.

"Aria," Hanna whispered. "Aria, please! Please wake up!"

It took a minute, but it was as though Hanna's words had truly gotten to Aria. Her eyes gradually fluttered open, and she surveyed her surroundings: her vision was blurred, but she could still see that all of the girls, and Caleb, were hovering over her, checking to see if she was okay.

Well... was she?

"What happened?" she mumbled, suddenly very tense and afraid.

"Aria, Melissa was in here," Emily said, bringing her up to speed. "She was in here, and we escaped." She then bowed her head. "You just weren't quick enough."

Aria nodded her head, but suddenly she found that she couldn't. She was too distracted by the searing pain in her right arm. Wincing, she held it up to the light where she could see it. It had a scarf wrapped around it, so the cut was not visible, but she didn't need it to be fully in view to know what it was.

"I remember now," she whispered grimly, the word _Mudblood_, written in her own blood, clear as day in her mind. "I remember everything."

"What did she do to you?" Spencer asked desperately. She didn't care if Melissa was family; there was _no way_ she would let her get away with doing this to Aria.

Aria sighed, still lying flat on her back as she stared up at the girls, fear present in her hazel eyes. Neither of them had ever seen Aria look this scared.

"She pinned me to the ground," she started, her voice surprisingly void of emotion, "and she kept saying that I took some _book_ from her. That I stole a book from the restricted section, and she wanted it back. And when I told her I didn't..." Aria then averted her eyes to her right arm. "I think you know the rest."

"And where'd she go?" Emily asked, standing up now as she looked around the room, as though Melissa would jump out any minute.

"I think she disapparated out," Aria said weakly, suddenly very dizzy. The room was spinning, and she couldn't even stare straight out in front of her correctly.

"But why would she do that to you if you don't have the book she's looking for?" Spencer asked. "I'm the one with the books! She should know that, she's probably been watching us for a while."

"Yeah, she has been watching us for a while," Aria agreed. "Which is..." She took this chance to take a large breath. "Which is how she knew about the book in the first place."

"What?" Spencer sat back on her knees, suddenly very confused. "Aria, what are you talking about?"

Aria closed her eyes as a shudder ran through her tiny body and a lone tear escaped her left eye. "What Melissa said was true. I _did_ take that book from her."

No one spoke. Everyone was far too stunned and far too confused. Spencer took this chance to turn to the others. "You guys, I'm gonna stay here with her. You need to get to everyone else in the school."

"And tell them what?" Hanna asked in a panic.

"That we found the culprit!" Spencer exclaimed. "That Hogwarts is not safe, and they need to get out immediately! Someone needs to tell McGonagall, someone needs to run up to Hogsmeade and grab everyone... just spread the word, okay?"

"How much time do we have?" Emily asked.

"Considering how quickly Melissa moves - and believe me, I would know - not much. Now go!"

Hanna and Emily both scrambled to their feet and sprinted toward the door - well, at least Emily sprinted. Hanna went as fast as she could in her black ankle boots and skinny jeans. She wasn't exactly prepared to go on any kind of expedition today. Caleb started to get up, too, but Spencer pulled him back.

"Caleb," she breathed, "there's only one way that I can think of that my sister could've gotten here."

"And that is?"

"I doubt she apparated," Spencer continued. "But my family has a car. A bright blue flying car. I need you to scour the grounds looking for it."

"Spence, that'll take ages!"

"Snag a broom if that's what it takes!" Spencer snapped. "And when you find it... get Hanna and Emily as far away from here as possible."

"What about Aria?"

Spencer looked down at Aria, who looked white as a sheet as her eyes glazed over. Spencer chewed on the inside of her cheek, having never been so conflicted in her life. "I'll figure it out," she finally said. "Toby is around here somewhere. I'll hand her over to him, and they can get to safety."

"And you?"

Spencer just bit her lip again; and she thought she was conflicted _before_. "There's some unfinished business that I need to take care of," she finally said.

Caleb's eyes widened. "If you're thinking of doing what I _think_ you're thinking of doing - "

"Now's not the time for you to _analyze_ that. Go! Go gather everyone! And _find that car!_"

It took a lot of egging on, but finally Caleb shot off of the ground and darted out of the room, now on a mission.

Now Spencer could turn her attention back to Aria.

"Aria, what are you talking about? What book?"

Aria just sighed as more tears fell. "When you sent me into the library that night, I found a very strange book. It was hidden in this far corner of the room, covered by all of these other books, but I somehow still came across it."

Spencer nodded her head subtly as she slowly moved Aria's head into her lap. "And what does this have to do with Melissa?"

"It mentioned her," Aria said softly. "It mentioned both of you."

"What?!"

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open, and Toby came running in, gasping for breath.

"There you are," he breathed. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"How'd you find us?" Spencer asked, and to her surprise Paige came running up as well.

"It took a while," she explained, catching her breath as well, "but it turns out all we had to do was shake Lucas up a little to get the lowdown on where you guys were."

"Here, Spencer," Toby said carefully as he handed her the thick, hardcover book in his hands. _The Chamber of Secrets: Where We Are Today._ "I think there's some stuff in here that concerns you."

"Page 394," Aria whispered, and Spencer flipped through the pages 10 at a time until she finally reached that page. If she wasn't holding Aria in her lap at the time, she would've gladly dropped the book onto the floor with a satisfying _thud_.

There. Right there on the page. Someone had taken the time to highlight it, too.

_Because the previous Heir of Slytherin - sources claim them to be Tom Marvolo Riddle - has been eradicated, the new Heir could come from two very powerful and well known Slytherin families: the Malfoys and the Hastingses. As of now, it is undetermined._

"Oh my god," Spencer squeaked. "It was in here all along. And... Malfoy. That was on purpose, too. Melissa wanted him out of the way." She then raised her head to look up at Toby. "None of those attacks were accidents. Mike was to shake up Aria, we know about Malfoy and Mona, and Maya was to end her and Paige."

After saying this, Spencer let out a long gulp. "My sister is in full control of that Basilisk, and she could have it kill all of us if she really wanted..."

Toby nodded before glaring down at Aria. "Why did you keep this a secret? Why didn't you _tell_ anyone?"

Upon hearing Toby snap at her like this, Aria propped herself up on her elbows. "Do you realize how much that _freaked me out?_" she spat, her voice trembling terribly. "How are you supposed to tell your best friend that someone in her family is planning on taking down the wizarding world? Taking down people like _me_, one arm carving at a time?"

"Aria, it's okay." Spencer spoke in a much softer tone than Toby as she pulled Aria close. "Calm down."

Aria just let the tears keep spilling. "I should've told you, but I... I thought I was protecting you. I never wanted you to know the truth, and I just kept hoping and praying to myself that it would just _end_ soon, or that it would end up being one of the Malfoys instead - "

"But it didn't," Spencer said, grief-stricken. "It ended up being my sister."

Aria just sunk further into Spencer's embrace while Paige and Toby just watched, heartbroken. "I'm so, so sorry, Spence. I'm the reason we're where we are now. I did this to myself!" she added, holding her arm up as the tears streamed down her face and blood trickled down her arm from behind the scarf. Spencer could feel tears of her own piling up at the front of her eyes as she pulled in Aria for another hug, trying her hardest to calm her down. That was a near impossible task at this point, however, as things really _couldn't_ get much worse.

"Aria, I'm not mad," she whispered tenderly into Aria's raven hair. "I wish you'd have told me, but I understand your reasoning. The fact that you kept a secret as big as this to protect me means the world to me."

Aria just sniffled into Spencer's shoulder while Spencer rubbed circles on her back. Spencer may not have been mad at her, but that didn't mean she would go so far as to not be mad at herself. How could she forgive herself after everything she had put her friends through?

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open, and Ezra whipped past Toby and Paige, blindly searching for the woman of his affections. "Where is she? Where's Aria?"

Aria slowly unwound herself out of Spencer's arms as she looked up at him. "Ezra..."

At the mere sight of Aria, pale and faint and cocooned in Spencer's arms, and at the mere sight of the blood on her arm - the scarf wasn't doing that great of a job blocking it - Ezra himself paled, dropping to his knees next to her and Spencer. "What happened? Are you okay? Oh my god, I'm so sorry this had to _happen_ - "

But before he could finish, Spencer grabbed his arm, pulling herself _and_ him off of the ground, while gently setting Aria back on it. "You all need to get out of here," she said hastily, and with that she turned to Paige and Toby as well. "Take Aria with you, and all four of you need to get as far away from this school as possible. I don't know what Melissa is planning on doing, but it's going to be horrid."

"What do you think she's going to do?" Paige asked worriedly.

"She's smart," Spencer pointed out gravely. "She knows that with these things, you have to start small. First the most well sought out wizarding school in England, and _then_ the wizarding world."

"Damn," Ezra whispered.

"Damn is right. Now, don't just stand here! Go! Get out of here! I'm gonna go find Melissa!"

"Spencer!" Toby grabbed her arm as Spencer started to dart away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Someone has to stop her," she said determinedly as she let out a shaky breath. "And I think it's supposed to be me."

"You can't do that!"

"Of course I can!" she shouted.

"No you can't! I won't let you!"

"Toby, I _have_ to! You can't be the one that I fall back on for this. I _have_ to stop her myself!"

Toby hesitated, unable to come up with a sufficient argument to stop Spencer in her tracks. So without further thought, he lurched forward, his lips smashed against Spencer's in a passionate kiss. Stunned, but still functioning, Spencer kissed back, until she disconnected moments later.

Toby stared into her eyes, his blue ones connecting with her brown ones. "Whatever happens, Spence, please know that I love you. Know that I never stopped."

Spencer swallowed loudly. She didn't know whether to leap for joy or to cower into a corner now, so she decided that none would be appropriate right now. "I'll keep that in mind," she finally choked out, before making her way out the door.

In the meantime, Ezra and Paige were on the ground, tending to Aria, who was toggling between consciousness and unconsciousness. "Aria, please stay awake. Please!"

"It's all my fault," she kept muttering through her tears. She was working herself up so much that her heart was beating faster, meaning her _blood_ was pumping faster, and, needless to say, Emily's scarf was completely soaked by now.

"It's not, Aria, it's not," Ezra croaked, tears of his own spilling down his face. "It's my fault. I'm the reason you're where you are right now. I thought I was protecting you, but I'm just shoving you further into danger than you were already in!"

"Aria, you have to stay with us," Paige said calmly. "You're gonna be okay."

"It's all my fault," Aria said weakly, her eyes drooping as she prepared herself to mumble out the words that even _she_ never thought would ever come out of her mouth. But as they left her lips, she realized they could never be more true.

"I'm... I'm just a filthy mudblood."

Paige and Ezra's jaws both dropped to the floor at this statement as Aria's eyes shut completely. At this point, neither person knew when they'd open again.

* * *

**So there you have it. Aria is not evil; simply scared and conflicted and protective of her friends. So she's off the hook, but Melissa is NOT. Does Spencer have what it takes to stop Melissa? Could that Spoby kiss be enough to give her strength? And what will happen to the rest of the gang, now that they are all separated? Sound off in the reviews!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Remember last chapter when I said I was going to get back to replying to reviews? I lied... I'm not quite ready to get back into that yet because I'm still not 100%, so consider that last blob of replies a little treat for you all for being the most amazing reviewers ever. Seriously, though, you guys got me up to being the 4TH MOST REVIEWED story on all of of PLL FanFiction. Out of almost 5,000 fics. Like... that's incredible. Now let's see if you all can get me up to number 1 ;) okay, I'll strike a deal: get me up to at least 2nd place by the end of this story, and I'll come up with a prize. I haven't thought of it yet... send me your ideas!**

**On a heavier note... before you guys start reading this next chapter, I'm going to warn you here: it is creepy. REALLY creepy. I got chills just WRITING it, and at several points I had to just STOP WRITING because it was freaking me out so much. Just the context of it all... it had to be done, of course, but putting it into action really REALLY wore me out. Just prepare yourselves is all I'm saying. Also, if you guys don't review after I gave myself nightmares for several nights writing this chapter, I'm gonna be really upset. REVIEW YOUR FACES OFF PRETTY PLEASE!**

* * *

"Everyone! Attention everyone! You have to _leave!_"

Emily and Hanna scoured the grounds of Hogsmeade, trying to find all the students and send them off, but no matter how hard they tried, no one would listen. Who was going to listen to a bunch of _teenagers_ telling them that a new Dark Lord had arisen?

No one.

Suddenly, a loud whistle was heard, and everyone covered their ears as they looked up to the sky, where the sound had come from. On top of one of the cottage roofs, Paige McCullers stood her ground firmly, taking in a large breath as she filled her lungs with air, preparing for her upcoming speech.

"Everyone, _listen up!_" she boomed. "Unless you want to die today, drop your Honeydukes nougat and _evacuate!_ I need some of you going _this way - _" She then pointed to the right, toward Hogsmeade station, where the next train was about to load. "And I need some of you going _that way!_" She then pointed to the post office. "Either way, _spread out!_ Don't try to band with your friends, just _get the hell out!_"

Everyone paused, looking up at her in confusion, but that just got her even more riled up. "Didn't you hear me? Did I _stutter? DON'T JUST STAND THERE!_ Unless you want to be _killed_ by the Heir of Slytherin who's after anyone who tries to get in her way, _leave!_ _NOW!_"

Finally, all the witches and wizards in sight started taking her instructions. They fled every which way, bumping into each other as they did so, finally realizing how serious the situation truly was.

No one would listen to a bunch of teenagers telling them that a new Dark Lord had arisen. That is, unless one of those teenagers was Paige McCullers.

While this all was happening, Paige just smiled smugly as she got down on her butt, slid down the groves of the roof, and leaped down to the ground where Emily and Hanna were standing.

Emily blinked twice, not knowing how else to react. "That was... impressive."

At the sight of Emily, Paige softened. Her smug smile transformed into one of warmth as she reached up to prop her hand on Emily's shoulder. "You know there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, right?"

Emily nodded her head, able to tell that Paige really meant that. "Yeah. I do."

"So what, do we board the train?" Hanna asked nervously.

"Spencer and Aria are still in the castle," Emily reminded her, shaking her head. "We have to find them and get out of here."

"I already talked to Spencer," Paige interjected. "She's not leaving."

"Well then we're not either," Hanna said firmly, reaching for Emily's hand. As Emily squeezed Hanna's hand back, she realized the gravity of this situation.

Over the past seven years, the girls had grown closer as friends, finding newer and newer ways to bond with each other. But _this_ year especially, they had become more than just that.

They had become a family. And family meant nobody was left behind, or forgotten. There was _no way_ they would leave Spencer and Aria behind, or any of their friends, and there was no way they would forget them, either.

They were all in this together.

"I'm so glad you guys said that," Paige breathed, before breaking into a mischievous grin. "Because we have some business to take care of."

"What kind of business?" Emily asked, but before she could even finish her question, Paige pulled three brooms from behind her back, holding them up into the light.

"Quidditch business!"

"No way am I riding a broom," Hanna muttered, but Paige just silenced her with her hand.

"The other one is for Caleb," she explained. "I snagged them from Sprintwitches since there won't be enough time to get ours from the dorms."

"Why do we need these?" Emily asked.

"Spencer thinks Melissa got here by flying car," Paige explained in a hushed tone, contrasting greatly to the hum of frenzy around her. "It's somewhere around the school, and we need to find it. Now c'mon!"

"Wait! What do I do?" Hanna asked frantically.

Paige whipped around. "Go talk to McGonagall. Some students didn't go to Hogsmeade. We need to evacuate the school, too!"

With that, Paige darted ahead, weaving her way through the crowd of wizards going in the opposite direction, at top speed of course. Hanna and Emily stared after her in shock, and, despite the danger that she knew she was in, Emily found herself smiling.

She knew whom she had chosen.

* * *

Meanwhile, on school grounds, Spencer took a long, quick stride down the corridor, making sure to move quickly so that she didn't lose track of Melissa. Granted, she didn't know where Melissa was quite _yet_, but she felt she was getting closer. It wasn't like Melissa to just _leave_. She'd want to stand around and gloat about it, Spencer just knew it!

Suddenly, Spencer stopped in her tracks. She would've kept going, but something made her blood run cold, rendering her unable to move, almost as though she were paralyzed herself.

A disembodied, sinister voice rumbled throughout the corridor, and if Spencer looked closely enough, she'd be able to see the walls start to shake.

Ignoring the chills shooting straight up her spine, Spencer inched her way over to the wall, pressing her ear against it.

_Come... CLOSER._

Spencer froze. This was the same voice that she had heard in her dream.

This was the voice of the Basilisk.

_Come... CLOSER._

Keeping her hands pressed against the wall as she did so, Spencer followed the Basilisk's request. But as she started moving forward, the mysterious voice started muttering something else. She stopped moving as she listened in.

_And kill. KILL._

No sooner had Spencer stopped moving than she had started back up again.

_KILL. KILL._

Spencer then disconnected herself from the wall as the voice grew louder and louder.

_KILL. KILL._

She raced to the stairwell, stomped her way down the steps at rapid speed, and leapt to the ground as she broke into a run, following the voice that dripped with a type of evil she never even knew existed.

_KILL. KILL. KILL._

After running for several minutes, Spencer halted to a stop, holding her hand out against the wall beside her as she caught her breath, trying to stop her heart from exploding out of her chest. But as she tried to quell her heavy breathing, the voice changed again.

_Come... CLOSER._

Afraid to go against the Basilisk's wishes, Spencer stepped forward, continuing to do so until the Basilisk told her to stop.

It never did.

_Closer. CLOSER._

Spencer kept walking forward, not daring to do so much as blink for fear of getting attacked by something. Anything. But when she reached the girls' bathroom, she stopped.

Of course. The Basilisk was leading her to the Chamber.

It was leading her to her sister.

_It's like hide-and-seek,_ Spencer thought grimly as she marched into the bathroom. She and Melissa used to always play hide-and-seek when she was little. _But that's good._

_I always win._

"Oh, it's _you _again," Myrtle moaned as she remained suspended in the air, in front of window near the ceiling. Spencer ignored Myrtle as she made her way over to the snake-engraved sink tap.

"Not now, Myrtle," she snapped. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Well, well," Myrtle said testily. "Looks like determination runs in the family."

Spencer then felt surprisingly cold breath on her ear, and realized Myrtle had floated down so that she was directly next to Spencer. "Just make sure you _use_ that determination _correctly_, unlike your sister."

Spencer's heart suddenly sank as she realized the connotation behind Myrtle's words. She suddenly realized what she was dealing with. _Who _she was dealing with.

Her sister was the Dark Lord.

Her _sister_. Was the Heir of Slytherin.

Her sister had betrayed her, gone against her, gone against the entire wizarding world, just to get what she wanted.

Spencer thought back to all of the times she and Melissa had fought. It would be over something stupid, something petty, and while Spencer always resisted the urge to slap her, while it crushed her heart every time her parents took Melissa's side, she knew deep down that there was love behind it all. That deep down, Melissa would do anything for Spencer, and Spencer would do anything for Melissa.

But that was all wrong. None of that was true, and Spencer knew that now.

Melissa was _pure evil._ And if she had to _kill_ Spencer, she probably would.

_Kill. KILL._

Pushing these thoughts aside, Spencer knew this wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. It was time to end this.

Taking a deep breath, she said it.

"_Open._"

* * *

**Well... THAT was cheerful. I snuck in a couple of references: one from the show, and one from one of my all time favorite Disney movies on the planet, ****_Lilo & Stitch_****. If no one gets it, I'm gonna be really mad, because it's basically the THEME of the movie. But don't make the references a priority if you can't get them, guys. Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Spencer is about to enter the Chamber, which makes way for a world of emotion and action that will make your head explode. Can't wait for you all to read it, and I'll see you on the other side!**


	50. Chapter 50

**I warned you all that it was creepy! Anyway, you guys did not disappoint review-wise last chapter. Thank you for that! Now I know that my countless nightmares from writing that chapter were all worth it. I appreciate you all saying I deserve the #1 spot, but that's a near impossible task... that spot belongs to an Ezria story that has 1014 reviews (in only 26 chapters, too... whoever wrote it has superpowers, I'll say that). I mean, unless you all are willing to get me up there! And someone recommended that for a prize, I do a PLL/Hunger Games crossover, and I have to strike that idea down. Someone else on FanFiction that I am in contact with (she even might be reading this story, I'm not sure) has been planning on doing that for a long time, and I would just feel like I would be robbing that from her. I don't think I'll end up doing another crossover because I just wouldn't feel as attached to it the way I have been to this one! That's another thing: to know that you all have loved this story as much as I have is something incredible. I can't thank you enough. You guys got me to freakin' 700 reviews! I'll never understand it. You all are amazing.**

**Enough of me being sappy. Enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Caleb soared in circles around the castle, in search of anything large and bright blue. But so far, he wasn't having any luck. Was it possible that Melissa hadn't taken the flying car?

"_Attention students,_" McGonagall's voice boomed from within the castle walls. "_This is an emergency. Please evacuate school grounds immediately. I repeat, please evacuate school grounds immediately._"

Sighing, Caleb lowered to the concrete, where he met up with Emily and Paige, who looked just as devastated as he did.

"I guess Hanna got to McGonagall," Paige said, trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah," Caleb said with a nod of his head as he squinted against the bright sun; a sun much too bright for this dreary day. "Yeah, that's good."

"There you all are!" Toby shouted as he walked out from under the gazebo, with Ezra not too far behind as he carried a limp Aria in his arms.

"Wow... she doesn't look so good," Emily whispered worriedly, and she was right. Aria's skin had turned the palest they had ever seen it, and as her arm hung from where Ezra was holding it up, blood continued to trickle down the frame of it, creating a spider web pattern.

"That's because she's not," Ezra said sadly, but then looked up again, ready to change the subject. "Did you guys find the car?"

"Not yet," Caleb said as he held up his broom. "But we will."

"And then what?" Toby screeched. "Just leave Spencer here? I can't do that!"

"There are all sorts of flaws in this plan," Ezra agreed. "For one, Aria's brother is still in there. The mandrake draught will be ready in a few hours, and something could easily happen to him!"

"We'll leave that to Longbottom," Emily said reassuringly. "He's still in there, and he's not gonna be leaving anytime soon while the mandrakes are out."

"Guys..." Paige interrupted, pointing in the distance. The others followed her gesture with their eyes, and they saw a bright blue car flying in their direction. It was going at such speed, that everyone ran in different directions, clearing a path for it.

The car cleanly landed on the pavement, and the two front doors popped open. A pair of legs came into view on both sides, and out came two familiar boys.

Two familiar boys that the gang should be slapping silly right now.

Noel and Lucas stepped forward, with Noel just a step ahead. "Get in."

As Noel spoke up, the gang exchanged uneasy looks, until Caleb stepped forward. "Why?"

"Because you need to _leave_," Lucas said insistently.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Caleb snapped, still incredibly angry at Lucas for not only kissing Hanna, but using that kiss against her – against _him._ He then looked back at Noel. "I was talking to your buddy here."

"Why should we believe anything you two say?" Emily challenged, backing up Caleb, and Ezra stood by Emily, still holding a limp Aria in his arms as he narrowed his eyes at Noel for taking Aria away from him.

"Because we've been trying to help you all along!" Noel cried, and everyone, even Lucas, was surprised to hear him speak so desperately. He bowed his head, willing himself not to cry. "Look, what we did was wrong. What all _three_ of us did. But we're here to make up for it now."

"Why did you even _start_?" Toby spat, contempt clear in the way his tongue clicked against his teeth.

At this, Lucas stepped forward, taking a chance. "She never told us how serious it was going to get. She gave us our tasks, promised to keep our secrets, and we accepted. That was it."

"But that ends here," Noel said determinedly as he stepped to the side, gesturing toward the car door. "Take this car, and drive as far away from here as possible."

"No way!" Toby screeched. "I'm not leaving Spencer!"

"Or Hanna," Caleb agreed. "Where _is_ she?"

"Right here!"

Caleb whipped around, and saw Hanna come running toward him. Her stride faltered slightly due to the damage of the Cruciatus curse that Melissa had put on her earlier, but she still managed to reach him, despite her shortage of breath. "McGonagall knows, and the castle seems to be clear by now." She stopped after a minute, slowly turning her head over once she became aware of the unwelcome company she was in.

Hanna glared at Noel and Lucas. "What are _they_ doing here?"

"Relax, they're on our side," Caleb said reassuringly, as he turned back to Lucas and Noel. "Will all of us fit?"

"It seats six," Lucas explained, "but you can probably squeeze."

"Aria hasn't woken up yet," Ezra piped in. "We can sprawl her across us."

"And what about you two?" Toby asked, his question directed at Noel and Lucas. "Aren't you gonna come?"

Lucas shook his head. "We're taking the train."

"Lucas," Hanna said unsurely, "are you sure that's such a good – "

"Works for us," Caleb interrupted as he immediately got in the driver's seat. Paige got in the front with him, and Toby, Emily, and Ezra got in the back.

Caleb looked over at Hanna, who was still hesitant to get in. "Hanna, c'mon!"

"Just a second," she said unsurely. There was something she needed to do.

As Lucas started to walk away, Hanna quickly stalked over to him, pulling on his shoulder and whipping him around.

Lucas blinked as the color rushed to his cheeks. "Umm…"

"Relax, I'm not gonna punch you or anything," she said, rolling her eyes. But then she got quiet, and he became confused. Why was she here? What did she want from him? Why was she wasting _time_?

Hanna heaved in a large sigh as she whispered, "I just wanna know why you did it."

Lucas's heart stopped, and he gently bowed his head. "Test answers," he muttered.

"Test answers?" Hanna echoed, confused.

Lucas cleared his throat. "I… I was selling test answers, and she found out. She said if I didn't help her, she'd have me expelled."

Hanna felt her breath catch in her throat. "That's horrible."

Lucas just shook his head, which was still tucked into his chest. "No, it's not."

"How can you _say_ that?"

"Because there's something else," Lucas blurted out, and Hanna's ears perked up. He had her attention now.

Lucas raised his head, his dark eyes clouded with remorse. "I was selfish, and I shouldn't have agreed to it."

"Agreed to what?"

Lucas let out a shaky breath, and Hanna noticed that his eyes weren't just clouded with remorse, but _tears_. "She told me that if I agreed, not only would she not report me, but she'd also help me get together with _you_."

Hanna's heart stopped. _That_ was why he did all of this? Was Lucas's love for her _more_ than just puppy love?

Did he really like her that much? _Love_ her that much?

"I… I don't know what to say," Hanna breathed.

"Don't say anything," he whispered. "Just get in that car and get out of here."

"But Lucas – "

"_Now_," he said sternly, as he pushed her over to the car, sending her off without so much as a goodbye. They didn't have time anymore.

Hanna reluctantly rushed over to the car as she got in the front seat with Paige and Caleb. But before they took off…

"Toby!" Noel shouted, and Toby's head shot up in the back seat. Noel ran over to the car, and Toby cranked down the window to see what was up.

"I almost forgot," Noel said breathlessly as he pulled something out of his pocket. Once it was out, he held it up to the light.

It was a small, knit doll, with short, straight brown hair, tan skin, and fierce brown eyes.

It looked just like Melissa.

"What is this?" Toby asked, confused.

"Don't ask, okay?" Noel said, denying his question. "Just keep it beside you at all times. Do you understand?"

"Noel, I – "

"_Do you understand?_" Noel repeated, staring straight at Toby with his piercing green eyes. It was the first time in years that Noel had looked at Toby with anything besides sympathy, as though he were some pathetic loser or something you scrape off of your shoe. He was now looking at Toby like he had the most important task in the world, and while Toby had no clue what that was, he knew it was serious.

"Yes, I understand," Toby finally said as he took the doll from Noel's hands. Noel nodded his head in thanks, and then stepped away from the car as Caleb put the key in the ignition.

The car immediately sparked to life, coughing and sputtering exhaust and oil all over the place, until Caleb pressed a few buttons, causing it to eventually lift off of the ground, into the air. Within a few seconds, the car had started forward, before zooming into a rocket start as it shot into the sky.

Lucas and Noel stood back and watched, before Noel turned to Lucas. "C'mon, man. Let's go."

Lucas was still staring after the car, even though it was long gone by now, until he was brutally interrupted.

"Boys! Boys!"

Noel and Lucas spun on their heels until they were facing the castle again, only to see Professor McGonagall racing toward them.

"Thank heavens I caught up to you," she said through her gasps, leaning over to catch her breath as she spoke. As much as she tried to ignore it, she was certainly getting too old for this.

"What is it, Professor?" Lucas asked.

As soon as McGonagall had caught her breath, she straightened her back. Then, without taking her eyes off of either of the boys, she reached into her robe pocket, carefully extracting something from it, and then held her hands out for both to see.

To their surprise, it was only an old, tattered, brown witch's hat.

"Umm, Professor?" Noel said uncomfortably. "Exactly what do you want us to – "

"Don't question me, boy!" McGonagall snapped as she slapped the hat against Noel's chest. "I have a task for you."

"And that is?"

"Take this with you," she instructed, "and bring it to the Chamber."

"The Chamber?" Lucas echoed.

"No, the Refrigerator," McGonagall said sarcastically, resisting her urge to thump both boys on the back of the head. "_Yes_, the Chamber!"

"But Professor – "

"There isn't time!" she exclaimed. "I have to tour the school to make sure everyone has escaped."

"Professor, please," Noel pleaded. "We're just not clear on the instructions."

"You don't need to be," McGonagall said, her tone softening. She then placed her hand on Noel's shoulder. "A true Gryffindor will understand."

Noel gaped, his eyes wide open and his mouth slack, but McGonagall didn't stick around to admire it. She patted both boys on the shoulder, and with that marched back into the castle.

Lucas sighed. "Well, do you know what this means?"

Noel stared down at the hat in his hands. "Yeah, I… I think I do."

With that, Noel grabbed onto Lucas's shoulder, lifted his cloak into the air, and the two disapparated off of the concrete.

* * *

**Anyone have any idea where Lucas and Noel might be going? What they might be doing? What McGonagall wants them to do? What the doll Noel gave Toby means? Sound off in the reviews! And prepare yourselves, because next chapter is when Spencer and Melissa meet up... for the ultimate showdown ;D**


	51. Chapter 51

**Hello there all you wonderful humans.**

**Alright, so a couple of things: in a review someone asked a question that I get ALL THE TIME on this story, and it's time to put it to rest: Alison will not be in this story. At all. She's not even mentioned. She's simply not a part of this AU.**

**Also, I've come up with a prize for you all if you get me up to the 2nd most reviewed story on here, and so far that story has about 800 reviews... if you get me past that by the end of this story, I will give you all a _sneak peek_ into the story that I am currently planning, which is a story on what happens when Aria finds out that Ezra is A (gulp... here come the tears). And to answer Ava B's question, yes. That story will have LOTS of Sparia in it. LOTS. Do you hear me? LOTS. I mean, it's me, so of COURSE there will be lots. Gosh. I'm warning you though, that story is depressing. Like, REALLY depressing (somewhere in the distance, ShadowsOnTheMoon's ears are perking up. "Did someone say depressing? A story with a sad ending? WHERE?!")**

**With that, here is the next chapter for your reading pleasure. Enjoy :)**

* * *

_THWACK!_

Spencer hit the ground with a little too much force as she slid down the chute. As soon as she gathered enough strength to orient herself, she picked herself off of the ground, swatting wood chips off of her robe as she did so. She didn't know why she was taking her sweet time when she really didn't _have_ time. In the few seconds that it had taken her to clean herself up, Melissa probably could've done a world of damage.

Melissa. Her sister. The mere thought of her name made her want to throw up. She didn't even know all of the details yet. She didn't know _what_ had led her to do such a thing.

But she was going to find out.

Spencer made her way over to the other entrance, but to her surprise, the small, circular door had come off of its hinges, hanging loosely as it dangled from side to side. Feeling her heart throbbing in her throat, Spencer stepped through, which was proven quite a hard task with the way her legs kept throbbing.

"Well, looks like you're as smart as they say."

Spencer whipped around, pulling her wand out in the process as she held it out in front of her. Melissa stood before her; in the same black hoodie and skinny jeans she had been wearing earlier.

A small part of Spencer was terrified, but another small part had to keep convincing the _other_ small part that this was just her sister. And then there was a third small part that was surprisingly unimpressed with Melissa's attire; who tried to take down the world in _sweats?_

Putting her thoughts aside, Spencer took a deep breath and started forward, wand still extended before her with a shaking hand.

"Why?" she breathed, her voice failing her due to the tears welling up in the back of her throat. "W-why would you want to do this to me?"

Melissa rolled her eyes. "Did you really think this was all about _you?_"

"You sure were going out of your way to make it _look_ like that!" Spencer snapped, the tears in her throat now reaching the ducts of her eyes.

"C'mon, Spence," Melissa simpered. "What exactly have I done to you to make you think that?"

"Where do I start?" Spencer croaked. What was Melissa even _saying_? "First, you scare the hell out of me and my friends by sending us these _fangs_. _Then_ you send a snake loose around the school, nearly killing my best friend's younger brother and my other best friend's _ex-girlfriend_, and let's not _forget_ how you took away my _own_ boyfriend. _All _of our boyfriends… _and_ girlfriends!"

Melissa leaned back against a pillar, thinking about this. "Yeah, I guess I did do all of that stuff," she said with a shrug.

Spencer let out a disbelieving scoff as angry tears started streaming down her face. "You've tortured us for months, you robbed Emily of her position on the Quidditch team, you framed me for treason, and then you almost _killed_ Hanna and Aria, and… I just don't know what could've motivated you to _do_ this to us!"

"I didn't have any motivation, Spencer!" Melissa snapped, her calm demeanor turning into that of a lioness instantly. "I only had one goal in mind through doing all of those things."

"Well, _please_ enlighten me on this goal!" Spencer cried as she threw her arms up in the air, only to have them slap back down at her sides. "I'm _so_ curious!"

As quickly as Melissa's demeanor changed did it change back; she was now back to her calm, almost condescending, self. "To strengthen you."

Spencer was feeling a lot of things at the time, but she hadn't been taken aback until this very moment. "What?"

Melissa just smiled, with a look on her face that said, _Now I've got your attention_. "Obviously you haven't done your research on our family tree, Spence, or you would _know_ that one of us was destined for this position."

Spencer gulped loudly, instinctively backing up on the heels of her feet as Melissa hopped off of the pillar and started pacing. _Pacing_. "One Slytherin, out of _all_ Slytherins, would get this chance. Only _one_ of us. And you saw the book, didn't you? The one your little _mudblood_ friend stole?"

"Don't talk about Aria like that!"

"_Spencer._ You saw the book, _didn't you?_"

Spencer just stood frozen in place, not knowing how to respond. She wanted so badly to lunge at Melissa, to take her down _now_, but she couldn't find it in her. She just let Melissa keep talking. "Of course you did. It was between the Malfoys and the Hastingses, and it could only be one."

"That's why you took down Scorpius," Spencer said softly, bringing up her previous revelation from earlier, and Melissa nodded.

"I wasn't about to let a measly seventeen-year-old get in the way of _me_ rising to power."

"Melissa, _I'm_ a measly seventeen-year-old, too!" Spencer cried. "Why didn't you just get rid of me the way you did him?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Melissa said smoothly as she took a step forward, a mere foot away from Spencer's face. "I _need_ you, Spencer."

Spencer's heart stopped. This entire time, she had kept her wand extended toward Melissa, but she was so shocked that she finally lowered it to her side. "Need me?"

"Of _course_ I do!" Melissa snapped. "You and I have never gotten along; ever since you were _born_ we've competed over something, whether it was grades or social statuses or attention from Mom and Dad – "

"So what? Now we're competing over the attention of the _wizarding world?_"

"Aren't you _listening?_" Melissa said nastily, the ferocity coming back to her. "We're not competing, we're in this _together!_"

Spencer's heart finally started beating again, but at a completely sporadic, too-quick-for-comfort rhythm. Was Melissa saying what she thought she was saying?

As if she had just read her mind, Melissa smiled. "Yes, Spencer," she said softly, _sinisterly._ "All of those fangs were clues that would eventually lead you toward the Basilisk. Everything that I did was supposed to lead you here, was supposed to isolate you; from your friends, from your boyfriend, from everyone."

"Why did you even target my friends in the first place?" Spencer asked, her voice shaking almost as much as her legs. "Why not just me?"

"Once again… to strengthen you."

_No._

"To sadden you at the sight of your friends getting hurt."

_No._

"And to cause you to protect them, to remain _loyal_ to them, in the same way you're going to remain loyal to me."

_NO!_

"I'll never be loyal to you!" Spencer screamed. "I won't! I'll never turn against my friends, and I'll _never _use dark magic in the way you want me to!"

"You're my sister, Spencer!" Melissa screamed back. "You don't have a choice! It's in your _blood!"_

Spencer covered her ears. "I won't! You can't make me!"

She started to run away, wanting to get as far away from Melissa as possible and forgetting her intentions to take her down, when she suddenly heard Melissa hiss something behind her.

"_Alarte Ascendare!_"

At once, Spencer felt herself jerk upward, being flung into the air by the mere power of Melissa's wand, before plummeting downward at least 20 feet at top speed, hitting the concrete with a painful _thump_.

Spencer groaned inwardly as she breathed heavily, heaving herself off of the ground as she stared a hole into Melissa, who just stared smugly. "Have you changed your mind yet?"

Without even thinking, Spencer threw her wand to the ground, let out a high pitched wail, and lunged full force at Melissa.

* * *

"Caleb, can't you drive this thing any faster?"

Caleb looked to his left, shooting a glare at Paige, who had requested this. "_I'm_ sorry," he said sarcastically, "I guess I'm just a little worn out from having to maneuver _two magical vehicles in one day!_"

"A broom does not count as a magical vehicle!"

"Pretty sure anything that has the power to split your balls in half like that counts as a vehicle."

"First of all, gross," Emily said from the back seat, wrinkling her nose. "Second of all, both of you shut up! Caleb, just keep driving."

"We've been driving for, what, thirty minutes now?" Hanna whined. "Why can't we land?"

"Lucas and Noel said we have to get as far away as possible," Caleb said with a sigh. "I have to keep driving."

"Haven't we been driving long enough?" Ezra complained as he sat back in his seat, a still unconscious Aria in his lap. "I'm starting to get sick."

"Me, too," Toby agreed as he held a hand to his forehead, the world spinning before him.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "You babies, I'm not even going that fast."

"You're right, you're not even going fast at all!" Paige snapped. "Pick it up, Rivers!"

"No!" Ezra intervened. "Just go at the speed you're at right now, we're fine."

"Fine how?" Hanna shouted. "We're basically just driving in _circles_ at this point! We don't even have a destination in mind! _Please_ tell me how that's fine?"

"Okay," Paige breathed, holding her hands out to the side. "I think we're all just a little irritable for having been in this car for so long."

"That's why you're all irritable?" Toby squealed. "You're all sitting here bickering, meanwhile I'm trying to stop my heart from beating straight out of my chest. For all I know, the love of my life could be _dying_ right now!"

"Weren't you the one who was just complaining about being car sick a couple seconds ago?" Caleb pointed out, turning around to narrow his eyes at Toby.

Emily rubbed Toby's arm. "We're all worried about Spencer, but this is her battle. We need to focus on our _own_ safety."

"Our safety is gonna be at risk if you all don't shut up and let me concentrate on driving," Caleb snapped as he kept his eyes on the sky ahead of him.

Finally, Paige couldn't take it. "Alright, that's it, we're landing."

"What?" Caleb's eyes widened. "No we're not!"

"Yes we are! I'm getting out of this car. How do you land this thing?"

She reached for a button, but Caleb slapped her hand away. "Paige, stop."

"NO! I don't want to deal with this right now."

"Would you rather deal with _dying_?"

The two continued to fight as Hanna tried to break them apart in the front seat, while Toby, Emily, and Ezra were yelling at them to knock it off in the back seat. As this was all happening, no one seemed to notice the car slowly sink downward, tipping forward a little too far, until it was almost completely vertical.

As the car started barreling downward, everyone lurched forward. Caleb hit the steering wheel face first, and as he did he noticed a button near the dashboard start lighting up. He looked over to Paige. "You pressed a button!" he shouted over the hum of them free falling.

"No I didn't!" she screamed back. "_You_ did!"

"Guys, look out!" Toby shouted over them. He instinctively wrapped his arms around Emily for protection, Ezra held Aria more closely, and Caleb, Paige, and Hanna huddled together in the front seat.

There was a _splash_, and all of a sudden everything went black.

* * *

**Oh no! Looks like the Scooby gang and their significant others have crashed! Meanwhile, Spencer is in the Chamber, fighting her own sister to the death. Danger has hit everyone hard, and someone will have to go down eventually. Read on to find out! Also, REVIEW!**

**PS: Here's a little teaser to prepare you all... in two chapters, someone in this story will die. Not saying who, but someone, so prepare yourselves. Seriously. PREPARE YOURSELVES! Don't say I didn't warn you ;)**


	52. Chapter 52

**So... none of you took the news of an upcoming death very well... I actually got a death threat from a Hufflepuff... well, at least the daily death threats I get from Bagilia have prepared me for this moment XD**

**I can't reply to everyone, BUT I wanted to give a shoutout to AL3110 for going through and reviewing majority of the chapters just to get me more reviews (seriously, the things you guys do for me baffles me. Thank you!) and a very special shoutout to Sarah... also a favor to ask from Sarah. You are just so awesome... so awesome that ShadowsOnTheMoon and I had a _formal discussion_ on how awesome you are, and we have come to an agreement that you need to get an account. Now. Like, you have no choice. It takes two seconds! Get an account, let me know what it is, and then PM me so we can just talk every day because you are fantastic and hilarious and yeah.**

**ANYWAY, this chapter right here (another one that I had written ahead of time and saved on a google doc because I just wanted this scene to HAPPEN) should calm your nerves a little bit... at least I think it should. A lot goes down, but it doesn't end on a very suspenseful note... well I mean, not as suspenseful as LAST chapter... ugh, just ignore my rambling and read the story.**

* * *

Aria's eyes shot open as she took in her surroundings. Normally, she'd be a lot slower in doing this; she'd wait for her eyes to adjust, let her mind slowly get up to speed, wait for the sleep to leave her body.

But there was an urgency to this situation that she sensed immediately: for one, she couldn't even see around her. Everything was a murky dark blue, something she wasn't used to, and she could just barely make out the shapes of people around her. And for another, within seconds she realized that she couldn't even breathe.

Panicking, Aria felt around her for her wand, but felt resistance as she did so. Once she felt searing pain spread from her forearm all the way through the rest of her body, and realized it was because salt water was seeping into her system through a deep cut near her wrist, she figured it out.

She was underwater.

All of this had happened in the span of around 5 seconds, but Aria still knew that she was running out of time before she ran out of air completely; she could only hold her breath for so long. Scrambling for her wand, which was in her right boot, she pulled it out and whispered, forming bubbles in the water as she did so, "_Lumos!_"

As everything before her was illuminated, the sight was enough to take her breath away completely.

She was in a car, something she wasn't used to being in during the school year. Not only that, but the car didn't just contain her. It was filled to the brim with water, trapping her, and trapping her friends; Ezra, Toby, Paige, Emily, Caleb, and Hanna were all in the car as well.

Where was Spencer?

She didn't want to even contemplate where her other friend could be. For now, it looked like she was the only one awake, and she needed to find a way to get everyone else out before...

She didn't even want to _think_ about what would happen if she didn't get them out in time.

Managing to wriggle her way out of Ezra's arms, Aria swam over to the door. But no matter how hard she tugged at the handle, it wouldn't open.

Immediately, she moved on to the window. She noticed that it was open a crack; a crack just big enough for a tiny, tiny girl to squeeze through? Maybe. Everyone else? She wasn't so sure. But if she could squeeze through the crack, maybe she could open the door from the outside, making it easier for her to get to everyone else out.

Ignoring the feeling that her lungs would burst at any given moment, Aria lunged into the window, heaving her small body through the space as efficiently as possible, and several seconds later she made it through. Without thinking, she pushed her way to the top, bursting through the surface and gasping for air, taking in as much as possible as she nearly became lightheaded with the sudden surge of oxygen in her brain.

After she had taken in a sufficient amount, she took in a large breath and dove back in, kicking her feet so that she got down to the car as quickly as possible. First, she went for the closed door, tugging on the handle outside of it as hard as she could, just as before, but it still wouldn't budge.

Realizing there was only one more thing she could do, Aria pulled out her wand again. There was a spell, she knew there was, but the windows were made of _glass_. She could hurt her friends if she wasn't careful.

_There's not enough time,_ a voice inside her head said frantically. _Do it NOW._

Complying, Aria held her wand out firmly.

"_Reducto!_" she said through the wall of saltwater before her, and immediately the car door shattered to pieces.

* * *

Toby weakly opened his eyes, everything slowly coming back to him. The car. The water. His friends.

Where _were_ his friends?

He remembered that before the car started plummeting downward, he had protectively reached for Emily, wrapping his arms around her. But, as evidenced by his empty arms, she was gone now.

The impact of the car hitting the water had knocked him temporarily unconscious, but he was up now, and he didn't have much time. Holding his breath, Toby squinted into the abyss, trying to make out the scene around him. His eyesight was blurred from his lack of oxygen, but he could still make out the car, a person with black hair, presumably Ezra, next to him, and someone in the driver's seat. He remembered Caleb had been driving, so it must've been him.

When Toby looked to his right, he noticed the car door had been busted. By who? He had no idea. As quickly as possibly, he grabbed Ezra, just because he was closest to him, and pulled him through the door. Since they were underwater, Ezra didn't weigh that much, but once Toby paddled his way up to the surface with Ezra on his shoulders, and finally made it to the top, gasping and sputtering, he found it hard to hold him up.

"Toby!" a voice shouted, and Toby whipped around. Over by the shore, a soaking wet Aria was laying out a body that he presumed to be Emily out. But upon seeing Toby and Ezra, she dashed into the water until she reached them. "I'll take him."

"Aria, I doubt you're strong enough to - "

"I'll _take_ him," she said insistently, but her eyes held such a pleading gaze that he had to hand Ezra over. Once Toby handed Ezra into Aria's arms, she started dragging him to shore. But as she did, she looked over to Toby.

"I'm glad you're awake," she said. "The others are still down there."

"There's no way we're gonna get them out in time."

"We can with a spell!" she said determinedly, laying Ezra's cold, lifeless body out on the damp ground. Aria looked down at him helplessly, wanting to do whatever she could to revive him, but she and Toby had limited time to save the others. It was time to get cracking.

She pried her eyes away from the love of her life and stocked over to Toby. "We need to do this together; neither one of us is strong enough to levitate this car on our own."

"A Levitation Charm?" Toby asked, not bothering to hide his surprise. If a simple spell from his _first year_ was what it was going to take to save them, then he would regret his every statement he had made in the past that he was going to drop out of Hogwarts and become a wizard carpenter.

Aria nodded her head. "Do you remember it?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Toby whipped out his wand from his robe sleeve. "Yeah. Let's do this."

"On three," Aria commanded. "One..."

"Two..." Toby continued, until they both ended with...

"_THREE! Wingardium Leviosa!"_

Within seconds, the surface of the water erupted, and emerging out of it was the car in question. It kept going upward until it was promptly suspended in the air, hovering above the water until both Toby and Aria directed it to shore with their wands. As soon as they set it down, the doors suddenly burst open, and a sea of water flooded out of the doors, Caleb and Paige spilling out on both sides as they coughed up the water that was filling up their lungs just a second ago.

"Man," Paige wheezed. "That... was... _intense_."

Caleb leaned against the car, still coughing and gasping for air as he did so, and opened the car door again. This time, however, he came out with someone in his arms.

Hanna.

"She's not waking up," he whispered, looking down at the apple of his eye. She looked so frail, so fragile, as if one single touch to her skin would cause her to break into pieces. With shaking legs, he walked over to where Ezra and Emily were, setting her down next to them.

Paige joined him, looking over at Emily, the apple of _her_ eye, before looking back up in desperation. "Anyone know a spell?"

"I might," Aria said, stepping forward, trying to ignore the salt that was slowly soaking into her fresh wounds, eating at all of the damaged blood cells and causing the mildest touch to be excruciating.

She wasn't going to let it bring her down, though. She had lost a lot of time when Melissa had carved that eight letter word into her arm, but she wasn't going to let some hurt feelings get in the way of her friends' lives.

She was muggleborn, it was true. But she was also a wizard, and a damn good one at that. And it was time for her to use her powers to save her friends.

With a shaking hand, she held up her wand. "_Anapneo!_"

Almost at once, as though all of the water that had been swimming through the group's pipes had evaporated completely, Ezra, Emily, and Hanna sat up, clearing their throats and surveying their surroundings. Hanna rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Where.. where am I?"

Everyone breathed collective sighs of relief, and Aria, Caleb, and Paige knelt down to greet their respective spouses as they all reassured each other that they were safe.

For now at least.

Feeling left out, since he truly didn't know how his _own_ girlfriend was doing, Toby started to walk a little bit away from the group. He didn't see it as a problem, and neither did the others; after all, who knew how long they'd be staying here? The point was to evacuate the school. They weren't given a time limit or anything.

As Toby started walking along the sand, letting his now bare feet sink into the clay-like material, leaving a trail of footprints behind him, he noticed something along his trail. Over by the water, looking as though it had been washed up by the crashing waves, was a small, everyday object.

The doll. The one Noel had given them earlier.

"What in the..." Toby started to say to himself as he walked over to it. Once he reached the doll, he picked it up in his hands, rolling it around in his palms as he surveyed it carefully. Why had Noel given him a doll? What did he need it for?

Suddenly, as if on cue, Toby felt himself suddenly lurch backward, and then the world was spinning. He closed his eyes, feeling sick all of a sudden, as what felt almost like a _hook_ pulled on the back of his navel, directing him toward his location. As the world continued to spin and Toby tried his hardest to keep himself from throwing up, the answer became clear.

The doll was a Portkey, and he had a pretty good idea of where it might be taking him.

* * *

**So, some of you thought that the doll was a voodoo doll... I found that quite amusing. But no, it was a Portkey. Any ideas where it might be taking him? ;) And can we just talk about little Aria Montgomery coming to SAVE THE DAY?! Like, "Call me a mudblood? Fine, let me just LIFT A FUCKING CAR OUT OF THE WATER AND SAVE ALL OF MY FRIENDS FROM DROWNING! Bye, bitch." #AriaOut #ThatsSoAria**

**Next chapter, the action continues. Unfortunately, one person will not make it out of the action alive... are you all ready? Better be. REVIEW!**


	53. Chapter 53

**I am at an actual loss for words right now... not ONLY did you guys get me past 800 reviews, BUT you ALSO got me to 2ND PLACE! Major, major shout out to Spobyistruelove for literally going back and reviewing every single chapter... I just can't believe that you guys are willing to do something like that! I have the best, most dedicated reviewers in the world. Thank you all SO much! Now let's see if you can get me past 1000/to 1st place ;)**

**I promised you guys that if you got me to 2nd place, I would give you all a sneak peak into an upcoming story that I am planning, and I should have that ready by the next time I update. I want to make sure that it is perfect for you wonderful people :)**

**Also, in reply to Sarah: unacceptable. There is NO WAY I can wait that long. You are getting an account right this instant. Who cares if you don't have 3 stories ready? Just use the account to PM me and talk to me all the time because of how awesome you are!**

**AND in response to someone asking how many chapters we have left... including this one we have 5 :( I don't think any of you understand how much I'm going to miss this story. I cried when I wrote the last word of the Epilogue. I've had way too much fun with it, and I don't think any other story that I write can compare to this one, and I don't think any other story that I write will have reviewers as amazing as this one did. You all are wonderful, and I'm SO happy that I was able to share this journey with you all.**

**Moving onto this chapter... prepare yourself. That's all I'm saying. This is one of the most action packed, emotionally draining chapters so far (besides the chapter after this one. That one takes the cake). So take a deep breath... done breathing? Good. Read on, my friends (and review, because duh) ;D**

* * *

Spencer and Melissa rolled on the ground, kicking and punching each other all over the place, to the point that Spencer had a bloody lip and Melissa was almost positive her nose was broken.

Using all of her strength, Spencer rolled on top. "What was supposed to happen next, huh?" she said through her heavy breathing, pinning Melissa's arms down in the process. "What was supposed to happen after I joined you?"

Melissa squirmed countlessly under Spencer's weight, trying her hardest to get free, but it was no use. Finally, she lay on the ground, glaring up at Spencer. "You would've done the rest of the work with the Basilisk," she gasped. "You would've rid the school of muggleborns with it, and after that we would've set it free into the _world_ as it took them all down. Leaving a world filled with pureblooded wizards to rule over, a world filled with pureblooded wizards to _fear_ us!"

"How could you expect me to do something like that?" Spencer cried, releasing her grip slightly on Melissa's arms. Melissa took this as a chance to knee Spencer in the stomach, sending her doubling over as she clutched her gut. In the meantime, Melissa heaved herself upward and shot herself at Spencer.

Now Melissa was on top.

Spencer stared up at her with pleading eyes. "How could you have expected me to turn my back on my friends like that?" she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "One of them is a muggleborn, Melissa! How could you expect me to let the Basilisk kill Aria? Or her brother? Or _any_ muggleborns?"

"You would've eventually been _happy_ to leave your own life behind," Melissa growled. "You know you would have!"

"And what makes you think that?" Spencer challenged.

At this, Melissa leaned down, getting dangerously close to Spencer's face as she whispered into it, "Because you're as power hungry as I am."

Spencer closed her eyes, trying not to let these chilling words get to her, but Melissa kept going. "I saw the look on your face when you didn't get to be Head Girl. I saw how you reacted when you saw that _one E_ in Herbology last year. Whenever you thought you could've done better at something, whenever there was a chance that someone did the slightest bit better than you did, you got angry. Just. Like. _Me_."

"You and I are _not_ the same, Melissa!" Spencer shouted, trying to break free from Melissa's strong hold. "We may look alike, we may share parents, but we will _never_ be the same!"

"Don't you see, sis?" Melissa said quietly, contrasting greatly with the way Spencer was just screaming a second ago. "We already are."

Spencer couldn't take it. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Melissa kept talking. "We both speak Parseltongue, we both were sorted into Slytherin, and we _both_ will do anything to get what we want! Face it, Spence: you and I are one in the same, and together we will be the most powerful sisters in the wizarding world. We can follow in Voldemort's footsteps together if you would just _cooperate!_"

Suddenly, a long _whoosh_ was heard over toward the entrance, and Spencer and Melissa looked up. To both of their shock, Toby was leaning over, looking like he was about to be sick, but after taking in a few deep breaths he stood straight and tall, glaring straight at Melissa with so much hatred that Spencer almost had to look away. "Get the hell off of her."

There were several moments of silence. No one moved, no one spoke, until Melissa broke the tension by bursting out into a loud, eerie cackle.

"Fine," she said easily through her laughter, getting up off of Spencer, whose heart was ready to explode straight out of her chest. Melissa sturdied herself, wiping the dust off of her jeans as she stood straight and tall in front of Toby. "Fine, I'll get off of her."

Toby immediately pulled his wand out of his robe pocket, holding it out in front of him as he prepared himself for whatever Melissa was about to do. Melissa smiled evilly, before, in one swift movement, whipping her wand out and shrieking, "_Avada _– "

"NO!" Spencer shouted, kicking Melissa in the back of her knees before she could finish the spell. Melissa went flying forward, and Spencer took this chance to climb over her sister to grab her own wand.

But Toby was already one step ahead of her. "_Accio Wand!_" he shouted, and Spencer's wand went flying through the air before landing swiftly in his palm.

Spencer huffed as she stood up from the ground. "_Really?_"

"Get over here!" he commanded, his blue eyes wide as he handed his wand out for her. But as she started to make her way over, Melissa helped herself off of the ground. "_Stupefy!_"

Spencer instinctively pulled Toby out of the way as she held up her own wand. "_Glacius!_"

A white-blue light shot straight out of Spencer's wand, and before Melissa could react, her limbs had frozen in place completely, and her entire body turned to frost as a block of ice consumed her.

Spencer stayed completely still, her wand still extended at chest level by her shaking arm. Melissa was staring straight at her, an animalistic look in her frozen features. It took a while, but Spencer finally came to her senses; Melissa could no longer hurt her or Toby, so she lowered her wand.

Toby came up from behind her. "Spence?" he said unsurely, and Spencer turned toward him. He came up to her, grasping her shoulders firmly. "Spencer, you're shaking."

Spencer looked down, and immediately realized that he was correct. Her arm, her legs, every part of her was trembling greatly. She grabbed her arm to try to quell it, but all that did was smear a pool of sweat across her skin.

Spencer let out a quaking breath. "L-let's just get out of here," she stammered, grabbing Toby's hand and leading him toward the exit.

But just as they started making their way out of the Chamber, there was a _CRASH_ from behind, and both Toby and Spencer whipped around. Melissa was standing before them once again, twirling her wand in between her fingers as a wide smirk graced every inch of her face.

"Did you really think it was going to be that easy, Spence?" she said in a mocking tone. But no sooner did the smirk on her face appear than it disappeared completely as she took small steps forward. "I will give you one more chance," she growled. "Either you join me, or I kill _both_ of you and leave on my merry way."

"I'm not joining you, Melissa," Spencer said firmly as she reached out for Toby's hand, which he protectively grabbed.

Melissa just shook her head. "I was afraid you would say that," she said with a less-than-remorseful sigh as she lifted her wand high up in the air.

"_STOP!_"

Before Melissa could recite any type of spell, the entrance to the Chamber burst open, and Lucas and Noel came running through. They scurried over to where Spencer and Toby were standing as they extended their wands forward.

"Give it up, Melissa," Noel threatened. "It's four against one."

"Make that five."

At the sound, Melissa and the others turned around, staring straight at a small brunette with tan skin and clever dark eyes.

"_Mona?_" Noel exclaimed, and even Melissa was shocked.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped. "I… I thought – "

"You thought the Basilisk got to me?" Mona finished as she shrugged her shoulders indifferently and flashed a conniving smile. "Yeah, I heard that."

"You… _faked_ a petrification?" Lucas said incredulously.

"It wasn't that hard," Mona said breezily as she stepped onto the scene. "And neither is this…" Without any more thought, she pulled out her wand. "_Impedimenta!_"

Melissa was immediately knocked backward off of her feet. Disoriented, she somersaulted backward onto her feet and into a standing position, her wand extended once again. "_Petrificus – _"

"_Protego!_" Spencer shouted, and Melissa's spell bounced off of Mona and into a nearby pillar, smashing it to pieces. Melissa's head went toward the direction of the pillar, but then snapped back toward the five in front of her, all of their wands extended, within seconds.

"Well lookie here," she simpered. "Enemies and traitors all banded together…"

"Yeah, banded together to end you!" Lucas shouted, trying to appear threatening, even if it wasn't necessarily working.

Melissa crossed her arms, tapping her pointer finger against the inside of her arm as she did so. "Well you know how the saying goes," she said with a careless shrug. "Enemies of the Heir, _beware_. Surely you knew that when you decided to stab me in the back?"

"Did you really think that we would stick by you in the end?" Mona said thickly. "You _actually_ thought that we'd see it through that you'd bring dark magic back to the wizarding world? After an era of peace has stretched on for so long?"

"Shut up, Mona!" Melissa snarled, but Mona was not going to back down. She had done a lot of wrong in her life, starting the minute she followed Noel to the Black Lake that fateful night, but it ended here. There was no way she was going down without a fight.

"Face it, Melissa," Spencer piped in, a newfound hatred she never thought would exist boiling over as she held her wand out toward her own sister, her own flesh and blood. "You're done here."

Melissa stood still, chewing on the inside of her cheek, the cogs in her head working overtime, before she raised her wand. "_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

"_NO!_"

A beam of green light shot out from Melissa's wand, before anyone could even react. It hit her victim square in the chest, the ghost of their last fearful shout still etched upon their face, before they went timbering backward. The others stood around, shocked and horrified, as their friend fell back.

Lucas hit the ground with a _thud_, no longer moving, no longer breathing.

Dead.

* * *

**Can we just talk about freakin' MONA VANDERWAAL and how she FAKED her petrification? Only Vanderjesus. Remember back when you all thought that I had killed her? THAT was funny. If you all could see me laughing my ass off at all of that. The only thing better than that was when you all freaked out over me ending the couples! Good times.**

**Anyway, yes. Lucas has bitten the dust. RIP baby Hufflepuff :( as much as the gang will want to mourn and grieve, though, they have to keep going. They HAVE to fight to the death and defeat Melissa. She gains more and more strength every second, and they CAN'T let her escape. So review this chapter, the way you've been so good at doing, and I'll see you all on the other side!**


	54. Chapter 54

**Again, you all are truly, seriously, mind-blowingly wonderful. How am I ACTUALLY approaching 900 reviews? Spobyistruelove (and her alter ego, Spobyistruelove2 ;)) is such a sweetheart. If I could get to 1000 by the end of this story, oh man... that'd be incredible. There are only 3 chapters left of this story, and this is the climax. This is when something HUGE happens, and you all are going to be occupied picking your jaws up off of the floor for about 20 minutes after you finish reading this chapter.**

**Are you ready? Are you sure? Okay, well, if you say so...**

* * *

"LUCAS!" Mona screamed, but her scream was silenced almost immediately when Melissa pulled her wand out again.

"_Stupefy!_" she shouted, and as a flash of red light protruded out of her wand, Mona was sent to the ground in unconsciousness.

Melissa, breathing heavily, turned to the others. "_Who's next_?" she snarled, unmistakable murder in her eyes. "_Who wants to have a go at me?_"

No one spoke. No one even breathed. Several seconds had passed, and Melissa simply delivered her notorious smirk as she held up her wand toward her own head. "_Ascendio!_"

With that, she shot up into the air at the speed of light, and once Noel, Spencer, and Toby got out of their stunned trance and looked up, Melissa was out of sight.

Noel walked forward, confused. "Where did she _go?_"

"I knew that bitch was good," Spencer said, shaking her head, "but I never knew she was _that_ good."

Suddenly, there was a hiss from above. To Noel and Toby, it sounded like a completely different language, but Spencer understood the words with complete accuracy.

"_Come._"

There was a rumbling, and at first neither person knew what it was or where it was coming from, but Spencer was immediately able to determine it.

"Everybody, close your eyes and _get out of here!_" she screamed, but Melissa had a set of lungs to scream with, too.

"You're too _late!_" she shouted. "You're too _late_, Spencer!"

"One of you, get Mona," Spencer said nervously, trying her hardest to ignore Melissa's taunting calls.

"I've got her," Toby said, leaning over as he pulled Mona's tiny body up easily, throwing her over his shoulder. He and Noel started making their way over to the exit with haste, until they realized Spencer wasn't following.

"Spencer, c'mon!" Noel said apprehensively, but Spencer wasn't moving. She kept staring up at the rafters, staring up at wherever Melissa was. If she left, it would all be over; Melissa would _win_.

"_Spencer –_ "

"NO!" she snapped, turning over to Noel and Toby. "She… she will _not_ ruin our lives like this. She will _not _rise to the top and take away every piece of prosperity that everyone before us worked so hard to rebuild. She's not going to just bring back everything that has been _destroyed_ for our safety."

"Spencer, think about your own safety!" Toby said desperately. "Please, just give up and come with us."

"You go," she growled. "I'm staying, and I'm gonna fight this thing."

With that, Spencer ran off, further into the Chamber. Toby and Noel turned to each other in panic, but without another moment's hesitation Toby handed off Mona to Noel.

"Take her," he commanded. "I'm not gonna let her die in here."

"Toby, you don't know what you're dealing with – "

"Neither does she!" he cried. "How can you fight a beast that you can't even see?"

Noel opened his mouth to respond, but after a moment he realized that he couldn't. As he hoisted Mona further onto his shoulder, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the old hat that McGonagall had given him earlier.

Toby stared at it, confused. "What – "

"I have no clue," Noel said honestly. "But it's supposed to be important, and it's supposed to be here in the Chamber with someone. So take it."

"But – "

"Just take it!" Noel ordered. Finally, just to get him to shut up, Toby took the hat off of his hands, and Noel raced out of there, Mona bouncing up and down in his arms as he did so.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spencer had run off behind a pillar, further down in the Chamber, as she heard the rumbling increase. The Basilisk was coming; he was coming toward her, she could feel it. Feeling useless just _standing _there, Spencer put a hand over her eyes as she blindly showed herself from behind the pillar and yelled out a spell. "_Arania Exumai!_"

A blinding white light burst forth out of Spencer's wand, and through her fingers she could see a never-ending pattern of yellowish scales. The white light hit the Basilisk, all right, but the effect was minimal, if not nonexistent. Spencer immediately concealed herself behind the pillar again, but it was too late; the Basilisk had already seen her. Letting out a roaring hiss, she could hear it charging toward her, so she charged in the other direction.

"_Imperimenta!_" she screamed, flinging her right arm behind her as she extended her wand toward the Basilisk. "_Stupify!_"

She screamed out every spell she knew as she kept running, but no matter what the Basilisk did not stir. It kept slithering toward her, hissing and roaring and making every inhuman sound imaginable.

Spencer was soon getting tired, and she didn't know if she could continue running. But she knew that if she stopped, the Basilisk would kill her; chew her up and spit out her bones. She didn't have the stamina to keep going, but she did have the wit. Deciding that this beast couldn't have been all that smart, she decided to trick it.

She slowed down the slightest bit, making it think that she was giving in. She heard a satisfied roar escape it's long, brisk body as it sped up, but as soon as she heard it getting close enough, she sprinted to the right as fast as she could, her empowering adrenaline allowing her to keep going. If she listened closely enough, she would've been able to detect a confused hiss, but she wasn't listening; she was running as far away as possible.

Suddenly, she ran into something with an _oomph_, and stumbled backward. It was Toby.

"Toby!" she whispered. "What are you – "

But he didn't give her a chance to finish, for the minute she started speaking he pulled her behind the nearest pillar.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Saving your ass is what I'm doing!" he snapped. "Did you really think I was gonna leave you alone in here with that monster?"

"Toby, I can handle it!"

"No you can't," he insisted. "You just _think_ you can."

Spencer just threw her hands up, knowing there wasn't a lot of time to be arguing since there was a giant snake waiting for her to emerge so that it could kill her.

"What are you _doing_?" she heard Melissa shout from above, and she immediately knew that she wasn't talking to her, but the Basilisk. "She's _over there!_ _That way!_ Don't just sit there, _go after her!_"

Panicking, Spencer looked to Toby, brown eyes wide with fear, but something caught those brown eyes.

"What's that?" she asked, confused, as she pointed down to the brown blob in Toby's hands.

Toby held up the dull brown hat. "I don't know," he said curiously. "Noel gave it to me, saying we'd need it, but it seems pretty useless. Maybe we should – "

No sooner had those words left his mouth than the hat started glowing. Confused, Toby stared down at it, but the light was so blinding that he dropped it. As the hat hit the ground, the light faded, and in its place was something long and silver, with pointed, sharp edges.

Spencer kneeled to the ground to examine it, and then picked it up. "It's… a _sword?_"

Suddenly, there was a roar from behind, and she heard it steadily getting closer. Frightened, Spencer turned to Toby. "Get out of here."

"What? Spencer – "

"I'll be _fine_," she insisted. "I have an idea, okay? Just _go!_"

Reluctantly, Toby gave her a quick kiss on the top of the head as he sprinted off. Spencer didn't even watch him go; as soon as they had parted, she turned back around, and in one swift movement, closed her eyes as she stepped from behind the pillar and shouted, "_ASCENDIO!_"

Sword in hand, Spencer shot up into the air, flying through the rafters. She guessed that the view from up here would be excellent, but she didn't take her chances; one look into the Basilisk's eyes, and it was over.

After soaring for several seconds, Spencer could feel the momentum cease as she drifted downward. She started slowly, until the pace quickened. She closed her eyes, hoping against hope that she had calculated right when she had done the spell, that the Basilisk hadn't moved too far, that this wasn't the end.

With surprising accuracy, she landed on a platform of scales with a _thump_, almost directly on her feet. She stumbled slightly, but caught her balance as she leaned forward, pressing her hand to the Basilisk's skin. The feel of it sent tingles up her spine, but she tried her hardest to ignore that as she realized where she was.

She was on the neck of the Basilisk. Perfect.

But she wasn't the only one to realize this; the Basilisk knew, too, and thrashed endlessly as it tried to throw Spencer off. But Spencer wasn't going anywhere; she gripped the beast tight with one hand while she tried to get a firm hold on her sword with the other. While she tried her hardest not to drop the sword, she was also trying her hardest not to get sick; with the way the snake kept swinging it's head back and forth, she thought she would throw up.

Finally gaining the courage to get it over with once and for all, Spencer gripped the sword tightly. She waited patiently for the one moment that the Basilisk stopped thrashing. It took several seconds, but mid swing the Basilisk stopped, and Spencer was ready.

She plunged the sword deep into the Basilisk's head, trying her hardest not to wince at the animalistic wail that escaped it, coming deep from its belly. She saw the dark blood ooze out of the sword, and knew it was time.

Without mercy, she yanked the sword out of the Basilisk, and it screeched in agony as it sank to the ground. It kept screeching, putting up an impenetrable fight as it did so, but eventually the wails stopped, and the beast fell silent, this time for good.

Forgetting where she was, Spencer lost her balance, and as the Basilisk went down, collapsing to the ground in a heap, she went down, too.

Plummeting to the ground hard and fast, Spencer held her hand with the sword out to the side so that she didn't fall on it. She fell flat on her leg, searing pain soaring up it. For all she knew, it could've been broken. She let out a cry of agony as the pain increased, but she had to recognize that it was over. The Basilisk was dead, and everything was over.

Or so she thought.

Just as Spencer was starting to calm down the slightest bit, a slow, gradual clap echoed throughout the Chamber, bouncing off of the walls as the sound got stronger through each vibration. Spencer looked up, and walking toward her was someone she never thought she'd see as a true enemy.

"Well, Spence," Melissa said with a hint of admiration in her tone, "I'm impressed."

Spencer could feel her bones turn to ice as she stood up from the ground, wincing as she removed the weight from her bad leg. "No, you're not."

"I am," Melissa said simply. "You just defeated the Basilisk, Spencer. Do you know that?"

"I could guess," Spencer spat sarcastically. What was Melissa getting at?

Melissa gave a proud smile as she continued to step forward toward Spencer, who didn't just feel like her leg was going to split open at any second, but also her head. Her head was pounding inexorably because of everything happening around her. The Basilisk was dead, the plan was foiled, yet something still felt so off. The tension in the air was still so thick, and the murderous glint in Melissa's eyes had all but diminished.

"You're one powerful wizard, Spence," she whispered, sending a shiver up Spencer's spine that she hoped wasn't noticeable.

"I don't care," Spencer breathed. "I'm not joining you."

"You saw what you just did, Spencer!" Melissa spat, her voice rising in volume awfully quickly. "You know what you're capable of! Why can't you use it to change the wizarding world for the better? Use it for _me?_"

"Because if I use it for you, it won't be for the better, Melissa!" Spencer cried. "Do what you want, try everything you possibly can, but I will _never_ help you. In fact, I'll see to it that you are stopped if you do so much as _hurt_ a single person in this school, in this world. _Especially_ my friends."

Melissa froze, shock eminent on her face, but it disappeared as she pursed her lips into a thin, thin line. Spencer couldn't determine the emotion that was newly displayed across her face, but she knew it couldn't have been good.

It took a solid seven seconds for Spencer to finish these thoughts in her head before her life flashed before her eyes.

It all happened so fast. Too fast. There was a scream, there was a charge, and Spencer found herself diving to the ground instinctively. In one movement, it was all over.

She firmly grasped the sword beside her and shoved it upward, plunging it deep into her sister's stomach.

Melissa didn't make a sound; her eyes widened, her face paled, but she was silent. She looked downward at her impaled abdomen, blood seeping out of it quickly, and with a shaking hand reached downward to pull out the weapon. Wincing, she slowly slid the sword out of her body.

Spencer held her breath as she stood up from the ground, slowly backing away. Melissa had fully pulled the bloody sword out by this point, and collapsed to her knees as the pain consumed her.

Finally, she slowly raised her head to glance up at Spencer, eyes filled with fear and, worst of all, betrayal.

That was the last emotion she would ever convey, for with that, Melissa collapsed to the ground.


	55. Chapter 55

**I know, I know, it's been, like, 10 years since I've updated, and I'm really sorry. I've been really busy these past couple of days, and to be honest I haven't been in a very FanFiction-y mood. My life is kind of subpar right now, guys, but I still feel horrible about leaving you guys off at the most intense chapter in this story. But I'm back now!**

**But first... (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT OH MY GOD)**

**That Halloween episode... WHY WAS THAT LITERALLY THE BEST EPISODE OF THIS SHOW THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN?! There was absolutely no dull moment in that episode. First of all, I really like that Miranda chick, and I like her even more now that it seems like she and Caleb will just remain friends. Although... that Haleb goodbye was not a good as I expected. I wanted SO MUCH MORE! Still beautiful, though, and Caleb is beautiful and perfect and I'm so sad that I won't be seeing his beautiful face on my TV screen anymore (I don't think I'm gonna be watching _Ravenswood_... doesn't look like it's for me). Second of all, EZRA! His creepiness this episode made me so sad, but so EXCITED! Why does he have to be so GOOD at it? And okay, Aria HAS to be suspicious of him. ALL of the girls have to. With the music at the end of this episode and the intensity in the last scene, you could just TELL! I feel like Aria suspects something but is just in denial for now. But with Grunwald's "One of you has been touched by the person Alison fears the most" and the end scene with Alison(!) fleeing when Ezra appeared, I think she knows. Although it looked like Spencer suspected TOBY again when Grunwald said that... So. Many. Thoughts. Third of all, ALI IS REALLY AND TRULY ALIVE WHAT THE FUCK! I mean we all knew it, but that scene... that was by far the MOST chilling scene that show has ever done. I was half expecting the episode to end on a cliffhanger with us not seeing her face, but when she turned around... my heart stopped beating, and I got shivers up and down my arms and all through my spine. This show is actually perfect. 4B CANNOT come soon enough!**

**Okay, now that I am back to breathing normally... your chapter.**

* * *

"God, I'm starving," Caleb whined. "How long has it been?"

"You wimp, we've barely been out here for half an hour," Paige said, rolling her eyes as she came to sat down on the shore. "And besides, can't your so called _magical hacker_ wand get us some food?"

"No," Caleb groaned as he reached into his pocket, pulling out what looked like two broken off parts of the same tree branch.

No one needed to ask to know that this was his wand.

"It broke when the car crashed," he grumbled bitterly. "All 10 inches of Alder wood and Phoenix feather, all _seven years_ of hard work down the drain!"

Everyone froze. They were all scattered about at different parts of the beach, but when Caleb exclaimed this, they all stopped. Caleb's wand was his prized possession. Some simple spell-o-tape could solve his problem in a heartbeat, but they all knew it wouldn't be the same. Caleb had worked hard to make his wand his own, and now he would have to start from scratch.

Hanna, who was next to him, patted his knee sympathetically. "Is there anything that I can do?" she asked softly.

At the mere sound of her voice, Caleb's scowl disappeared. He turned to her, a newfound, _genuine_ smile on his face. "As a matter of fact, there is," he said thoughtfully.

"And what is that?"

"Be here," he said sincerely. "With me. Just stay here, and I'll get over it."

Hanna smiled as she clasped her hand into Caleb's. "You have yourself a deal, Rivers," she whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he leaned over to kiss her hair.

Meanwhile, Ezra walked up to the scene from further down the beach, looking confused. "Anyone seen Toby?"

Emily, leaning up against a tree next to Aria, sat up. "He probably just went to look for food."

"Well tell him to bring me some," Caleb grumbled, while Paige just rolled her eyes again.

"Why can't men go 5 minutes without food?"

"I _can_, thank you very much!" Caleb snapped. "But we don't know how long we're gonna be here!"

"No, guys, he's not looking for food," Ezra interjected finally. "I've looked everywhere, and he's not here."

Now everyone's attention was caught. Aria lurched forward from her repose, removing her hand from her bleeding arm. "What are you saying..."

"Guys, n-no," Hanna stuttered. "I know what you're all thinking, and it's not true. He can't be _lost_."

"It sure seems like it," Emily said mournfully.

"But where would he have _gone_?" Hanna argued. "He has to be here somewhere!"

"Well should we look around?"

Before Hanna could respond, Paige leapt up from her spot on the sand. "Guys..."

She was looking off into the distance, and everyone followed her gaze. It was barely there, but the gang could just barely make out a wisp of a figure. A figure thin in texture, but large in size.

"What is it?" Hanna wondered out loud, as Emily squinted to get a better look.

"I think it might be a dog?" she guessed. Aria stepped up next to them, narrowing her eyes into focus as well. As soon as she got a good look, her heart leaped into her throat, a single phrase resounding throughout her head as a memory came to mind.

Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"It's Spencer," she whispered, pointing a shaking finger up to the Patronus, shaped like a bloodhound, soaring through the air.

* * *

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Spencer cried, staring up the tunnel with laser vision as tears streamed down her face. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

"Spencer, you've screamed the spell enough!" Toby croaked as a stream of white light shot upward through the tunnel.

"I DON'T CARE!" she snapped at him as she directed her wand upward again, ready to strike once more, but before she could react Toby grabbed it out of her hands.

Spencer whipped around. "GIVE IT BACK TOBY!"

"They'll be here soon!" he said softly as he reached forward to wipe the tears from her face, but she walked - no, _limped_, since her leg was still in excruciating pain - in the other direction.

"What if they didn't see it?" she spoke through her sobs. "They won't know th-that they're safe now. They won't - "

"You can't think like that," he said reassuringly. He then tried to encompass her in his arms, but she pushed him away as she wrapped her own arms around her trembling frame, turning her back to him.

"Stay away from me," she growled, as Toby's eyes widened.

"Spencer, stop this," he said sternly. "You're going to make yourself sick."

At this, Spencer froze. "M-make... myself... _sick_?"

Toby gulped. Had he struck a nerve?

Spencer turned around to face Toby and reached up to wipe a stray tear away as her features hardened. "Do you _really_ think I care about making myself sick right now? Our friends and the entire _school_ are still out there somewhere, who _knows_ where Noel and Mona are, Lucas had to die for _no reason_ other than for something for Melissa to _prove_, and..." She took a chance to catch her breath, to swallow any unshed tears. "And I just killed two once living things."

Toby sighed. "Spencer, one of those was a Basilisk. A fucking _beast_, alright? It doesn't count."

At this, Spencer turned around, eyes meeting the corpse sprawled across the ground in a heap of blood.

Blood that was technically hers.

"But one of them was my sister," she finally breathed, and with that Spencer broke down. She felt her knees go weak as she started to topple forward, but Toby was quick to catch her. Ignoring her previous request for him to stay away, he wrapped her up into his arms, holding her close as the tears broke free once and for all. As hard as he tried, muffling her up to his chest did nothing to quell the hiccupy sobs that were escaping her throat.

"I'm... I'm a murderer, Toby," Spencer squeaked, surprising herself with how weak and fragile she sounded. Toby just shook his head as he kissed her hair.

"You had to, Spence," he said firmly, trying to make himself heard over her frantic sobs. "You would never hurt anyone unless it was truly necessary."

"B-but was it really necessary for me to hurt her like that?" Spencer said softly as she looked over to Melissa. Whenever Spencer thought of Melissa before, she remembered all of the bad times: the rock hard disappointment when Melissa got something that she didn't, when their parents took Melissa's side over hers, whenever Spencer had to constantly stress over something, anything, that would make her parents proud, only to be shut down because Melissa did something that won them over more.

But she didn't think about these things now. Now, she thought of all of the times Melissa had taken care of her when she was sick. All of the times she had finished Spencer's broccoli for her when their mom wasn't looking. All of the book recommendations, all of the hand me downs, all of the things Melissa had done and the accomplishments she had made that caused Spencer to strive harder to beat her, to become the person she was today.

All of the times Spencer thought Melissa might have loved Spencer as much as Spencer loved Melissa.

"She never loved me, Toby," Spencer whimpered into Toby's robes. At this, Toby pulled back.

"It's okay, Spencer," Toby said promisingly. "_I_ love you. And I really hope that can be enough for you."

Spencer nodded her head as she buried her head into his chest again. "I... I think it can."

Suddenly, there was a _whoosh_, and the sound of footsteps. Toby and Spencer broke apart to see Emily, Hanna, and Aria running toward Spencer.

"You're okay!" Emily said, relieved, as she engulfed Spencer in a huge hug. "Thank god."

Spencer let out a shaky breath as she hugged Emily back, and Hanna and Aria joined into the hug. "I'm not okay, Em," Spencer whispered. "But I'm glad you guys are."

"We were so worried about you," Hanna breathed as she buried her head into Spencer's shoulder. Aria nodded her head in agreement, until something, or some_one_, caught her eye.

She gulped as she averted her gaze to the gruesome sight of Melissa on the ground. "Oh my god."

Spencer looked in the direction that Aria was looking, and her heart sank. Emily and Hanna took heed, and gasped.

"Spence..." Hanna whimpered. Spencer just hung her head.

"I had to, alright?" she began, her voice quivering. "She was going to hurt you all; hurt everyone! I wouldn't let her. I wouldn't give her that power. I killed the Basilisk, and then I killed her, too."

By this point, tears were streaming down Spencer's face again. Hanna just smiled weakly as she reached forward to wipe the tears away.

"You did what you had to do," she said proudly. "And it's over now. That's what matters."

And with that, the four girls hugged, tears meeting all of their eyes as they looked back on everything that happened, thankful only for each other and that each one was safe.

There was nothing but chaos going on around them, but at least they had each other.

* * *

**Aww, how cute. Anyway, there are only 2 chapters left of this story now :( but I want you all to know that this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Writing this story and reading all of your marvelous reviews really kept me going through a hard time in my life, so I want you all to know how grateful I am for all of you. So review this chapter letting me know if you liked it or not, and I'll see you all on the other side!**


	56. Chapter 56

**I don't think I mentioned this last time, but... I still can't believe you guys got me over 1000 reviews AND got me to first place/third place when including M-rated stories. That's pretty fucking amazing, and I am in awe at how dedicated you guys all are to this story. We've only got one chapter left, unfortunately :( no worries, though, because I am currently working on another story that should be published at around the time that 4B starts. Of course, that means y'all will have to follow me to find out when it officially comes out, so do that ;)**

**Also, I wanted to treat you guys since you've been so wonderful, so here's a reply to each of your reviews:**

**JosieCarter: Spencer is gonna need a lot of comfort from the OT4, but in the end I think she'll be alright :) and thank you so much! I really am so happy that you've enjoyed this story, it was such a blast to write.  
AL3110: Thank you :)  
hufflepuffhaleb: That part was so emotional for me to write to be honest. Spencer is one tough cookie for having the guts to do that. And HALEB! I can't deal with him being gone, I just can't. And really, thank you so much for your kind words, I'm so happy you think that way about this story 3  
S. S. Ezria: Haha, that was the one saving grace for this otherwise depressing chapter. And ugh, don't remind me. I'm so sad :(  
Elggup: Oh, me too. Her FACE! She looked so, so sad. Good on Sasha, I'll tell you that. She managed to portray YEARS of growth and corruption in a character that's been gone all of that time. All within a minute of screen time, all within just her facial expression. Amazing. And please, thank you for reading!  
foreverawildandbeautifulmess: Thanks, girlfriend! :D  
eveningshades1107: That was actually a recommendation by a reviewer, and I was like "Okay, I am SO putting that in my story". At first I was thinking a wild-eyed terrier because Jenna said that's what Spencer reminds her of, but a bloodhound sounds way better. And wow, I'm really glad it could relate to you like that! I have two older sisters, so writing that internal passage almost made me tear up. Poor Spencer :( Seriously, though, thanks again. Your reviews always make me smile :)  
Spobyistruelove: Haha, oh Caleb. He's such a boy sometimes :P and oh, they were there, too. They didn't stay on the beach, haha, sorry! I should've made that clear. They just didn't run up to Spencer like the girls did. Thank you so much for reading this story, and I KNOW! I won't be able to survive until January 7th, but I'll be writing a story til then/it'll help me focus on school, so there's that.  
AvrilRP212: Thanks so much :)  
Rae: WOW! Okay, first of all, never apologize for a long review, because I live for long reviews. And every single sentence/word/LETTER in that review was perfect. I'm glad you like the girls' friendships, because they're my favorite part of the show as well. Alison actually isn't in this story, though :/ and well, my handle on the Slytherin house might have to do with the fact that I'm a Slytherin myself, haha, but I do like to think that the rift between the houses dissipated when the war ended. How else would the girls be such amazing friends? ;) Again, thank you for reviewing and taking the time to read this story and being so dedicated that you took NOTES? Like, WHAT? Incredible. And hopefully you see this, too, because I don't even know what chapter you're on right now. Haha.  
TotalCowGirl: The question is what am _I_ going to do once this story is over?! I'm going to miss you all so very much, not even joking...  
Ava B: It really does, doesn't it? #OT4 #FTW  
ShadowsOnTheMoon: No worries, that was a very funny joke indeed. And I'm actually so sad for this story to end, but it's fine because like you said I'll have time to write my other story! Glad you enjoyed this chapter, as always. Your opinion means a lot to me in case you were unable to tell :)**

**Alright, now for what is technically the last chapter (the actual last chapter is the Epilogue)... sigh. Here we go, and as always: REVIEW!**

* * *

It was a week later, and everyone was gathered in the Great Hall in celebration of the newfound safety of the wizarding world; in celebration of the overcoming of the dark magic that had almost taken over once more. A large feast had been prepared: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs, as well as blocks of assorted ice cream, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, and rice pudding for dessert.

Spencer, Hanna, and Aria had joined Emily at the Gryffindor table. Since it was such a happy occasion, the professors were not as strict about people socializing from different houses.

"Okay, can we talk about Prudence Finn right now?" Hanna said bluntly. "_What_ is that on her neck?"

"I think it's cute!" Aria said with a laugh as she looked down the row at Prudence's dog collar necklace, spikes poking out at the side.

"Yeah, easy for you to say!" Hanna pointed out. "You wear _forks_ for earrings!"

At this, Emily doubled over in laughter, while Spencer spit out her pumpkin juice as she collapsed in a fit of giggles. Her juice spewed across the table, and Emily gaped at the debris now on her.

"Spencer!" she exclaimed, scrambling for a napkin on the table. "What the hell?"

"That's what you get, Em!" Aria said pointedly. "I happen to _like_ my earrings!"

"Yeah, and I like cats, but you don't see me wearing them on my ears!" Hanna said cleverly. Spencer and Emily laughed hysterically again, and this time even Aria cracked a smile, cocking an eyebrow upward in a _what-can-you-do_ fashion as she sipped from her goblet. But midsip, she stopped, her eyes widening.

"Aria, what's wrong?" Spencer asked worriedly. Aria lowered her drink as she looked toward the entrance to the Great Hall, only able to utter one single syllable.

"Mike."

Mike Montgomery, looking better than ever, entered the hall, walking toward the Gryffindor table with a giant grin on his face to greet his sister. Once Aria had gained back the feeling in her limbs, her entire face lit up as she, in one breath, leapt up from the table. "MIKE!"

She ran across the aisle at full speed until the launched herself at Mike in a big hug. He smiled as he hugged back. "Hey, sis."

Aria stood on her toes as she rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing her hand back and forth along his back. "I missed you."

Hearing the sadness in her voice, Mike pulled back. "I'm here now, though," he said optimistically. "That's good, right?"

Aria just laughed as she pulled her brother in for another hug. It was good to have him back.

Emily, Hanna, and Spencer smiled at the sight of Aria reuniting with Mike, but suddenly something occurred to Emily.

"Mike's awake," she said thoughtfully. "That must mean..."

She stood up, and sure enough Maya entered the hall seconds later, looking like she wanted to be _anywhere_ but there. Emily found herself smiling, but then she stopped to look over at Paige, who was staring at her. Her expression was hard, but after a moment she nodded her head, granting permission. She felt confident enough in her relationship with Emily to know that it wouldn't lead to anything.

With that, Emily looked across the table. "I have to..."

"By all means!" Hanna said affirmatively, and Emily left.

"Well, Spence, I guess that just leaves us for now," Hanna continued as she shoved a handful of chips into her mouth.

"Looks like it does," Spencer agreed, until she froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone coming toward her. For a minute she was uncomfortable with the upcoming encounter, but then she remembered everything she had been through recently with that person, and she let herself relax.

"Mona," Spencer said tentatively as she stood up from the table. "It's... it's good to see you."

Mona looked up at Spencer unsurely, not sure where to go from there, but she ended up holding out her hand to shake. Spencer stared at it in confusion, and Mona rolled her eyes.

"It's a truce, Hastings," she said gruffly.

"Truce?"

"You did well," she said with a headnod, admiration eminent in her tone. "You basically saved all of our lives."

Spencer's eyes widened, shock at Mona's turnaround eminent in them, but she pulled herself together in time to respond to Mona. "Well, I couldn't have done it without your help."

Mona smiled as she bowed her head bashfully. "And... I want to apologize for the immaturity I showed toward you all these years."

Spencer had to laugh at this. "Well, I was no better," she admitted. "But thank you, Mona. You really deserved to be Head Girl."

Mona nodded. "Thank you. You made a great person to work with all of these years."

Spencer smiled as she finally grasped Mona's extended hand in a firm handshake. Their exchange was interrupted, however, by the sound of shouting just a few yards away.

"I don't care!" Noel exclaimed. "I never loved you, why can't you just accept that?!"

"You're _lying!_" Jenna shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "Why would you _pretend_? How can you not _love_ me?!"

"Because _I love Mona Vanderwaal!_"

Spencer froze, and Mona gasped. Noel turned, meeting Mona's almond eyes with his green ones. They stayed like that for several seconds, before walking toward each other and meeting in a passionate kiss. Spencer continued to watch, with glee, as they remained in a passionate embrace _and_ as Jenna gawked in fury.

"I'm back, hold your applause!"

Noel and Mona broke apart at the sound of the voice, and Malfoy entered the hall, clean shaven with his white-blonde hair combed back, as though he were prepared for a job interview. Jenna stared at him for a solid few seconds, before looking over at Noel, meeting his gaze with a _two-can-play-that-game_ look in her one working eye, and grabbing Malfoy by the scruff of his robes, crushing her lips to his so hard that he might have broken a tooth.

He was shocked per say, but nevertheless he kissed back as several of his cronies at the Slytherin table clapped, one even going so far as to yell, "Get some!"

"Well, that takes care of that," Noel said happily as he turned back to Mona, meeting her lips affectionately.

* * *

"Students!" Professor McGonagall bellowed happily. "I am very happy to tell you that the Chamber of Secrets has been closed and the school is now safe!"

There was an eruption of applause throughout the dining hall as everyone clapped for joy. McGonagall then put up her hand to silence the crowd.

"And it is thanks to Madam Pomfrey and Professor Longbottom and their mandrake juice formula that those who were petrified are awake and well."

As the applause started again, Aria turned to Mike, a giant grin on her face as she kissed him on the cheek. He didn't even try to shove her away this time.

"And in even better news... in celebration of the victory that we have made over dark magic, _all_ exams for the end of the school year have been _cancelled!_"

The previous eruption of applause got even greater as more and more students rose to their feet in celebration and excitement (all except for Spencer, who was genuinely disappointed that she wouldn't get to take her exams).

"Unfortunately, not all of us managed to escape the tragedy."

The applause stopped as McGonagall's sharp words cut through the crowd like a razor blade, silencing everyone, and Hanna immediately bowed her head, knowing whom McGonagall was alluding to, and thinking of everything that she should've said to this person, everything that wasn't done that should've been done to make this person realize just how much she cared about him. Not in the way she cared about Caleb, but still a lot.

"Lucas Gottesman was killed last week when trying to save us all from a common enemy," McGonagall went on to say. "His bravery will be forever remembered and recognized. It would be considered blasphemy if we didn't give him a proper moment of silence - "

McGonagall's speech was interrupted by the sound of the double doors at the front of the hall bursting open. Three adults stalked forward, and the sight of these three specific people sent a roar of whispers shooting across the room.

"Mom! Dad!" Albums Potter squealed as he scrambled to his feet, along with his siblings, Lily and James, and their friends Rose and Hugo Weasley. They raced to the center of the hall to greet their parents, who hugged them briefly before walking forward to the Head Table.

"Professor," one of the three, a short man with round glasses, said.

McGonagall simply nodded her head. "Mr. Potter."

The whispers throughout the hall grew louder. What could Harry Potter possibly be doing here? And why had he brought Ron and Hermione Weasley?

The three had a small, hushed exchange with McGonagall before whipping around to face the students. "Would the following please come forward," Hermione began. "Toby Cavanaugh, Emily Fields, Spencer Hastings, Noel Kahn, Hanna Marin, Paige McCullers, Aria Montgomery, Caleb Rivers, and Mona Vanderwaal."

The nine students, taken aback, stood up and walked forward to the front of the hall. What could be wanted of them?

Ron stepped forward this time, ready to speak. "We wanted to thank all of you."

"Thank us?" Emily asked meekly. "Why?"

Ron just snorted. "And yet they put you in Gryffindor?" he joked. "C'mon now, take in as much praise as you can get."

He then turned to Toby at the end of the row, whose head was bowed as he tried to avoid eye contact. "You too, old chap."

Toby raised his head, his blue eyes wide with confusion. "Me? Why me? I'm a Slytherin!"

Ron just rolled his eyes as he turned to Hermione. "Fetch the sword."

She nodded as she reached into the inside of her robe to pull out a long shaft in a cloth sheath. She withdrew the sheath, revealing a long silver sword. The same sword that Toby had pulled out of the Sorting Hat in the Chamber.

Hermione walked forward to Toby, kneeling in front of him with the sword in her hands. "Take a closer look."

Toby carefully took the sword from Hermione as he examined it closely. It took a minute, but he was finally able to pinpoint a certain text.

"Godric Gryffindor," he whispered, and Hermione nodded.

"Only a true Gryffindor would have been able to retrieve that sword," she said admirably. "Ask the Sorting Hat if you have any doubt. You belong in that house just as much as I do."

Toby beamed, and Spencer proudly reached for his hand. After all this time, he finally knew where he belonged.

"As Ron was saying before," Harry piped in, "we are here to thank you all. You expressed true bravery in protecting this school, and protecting our children."

"As you can imagine," Hermione continued, "it has been a great fear of ours that our children would go through the same toils that we went through going to this school."

"But you all made sure that wouldn't happen," Ron said, a wide grin gracing his freckled face. " and for that we cannot thank you enough."

Hermione nodded, and then turned to Aria. With some reluctance, she reached for her robe sleeve, rolling it up, and Aria gasped.

On it was a near identical scar of the word "Mudblood" carved into her arm.

Aria looked down to her own arm, now tightly bandaged. Hermione smiled. "Embrace it, dear," she said warmly. "You and I are living proof that it is nothing to be ashamed of."

Aria smiled at this, and Harry, after observing, turned to Caleb. "You're an orphan, aren't you?"

Caleb's jaw dropped. "How did you - "

"Lucky guess," Harry said knowingly, rubbing his notorious lightning scar on his forehead as if it would prove as a type of evidence. "Whether you all know it or not, there is something about you all that you wish you didn't have to define you. But everything you wished you could leave behind, everything you thought would only weaken you in the end, made you stronger. Everything you hate about yourselves is what led you toward winning this battle in the first place. You're heroes, whether you know it or not."

He then turned to Spencer, his green eyes shining with wisdom through his spectacles. "Especially you, Hastings."

Spencer involuntarily gulped, her blood running cold. This was it. He was just going to remind her again of how she killed her own sister, just like everyone else was.

But surprisingly, this did not escape Harry's lips. "It takes a lot of guts to take down the Basilisk. Quite the trickster, it is."

Spencer let out an incredulous, and slightly nervous, laugh. "Not really. It was really dumb."

At this, Harry had to chuckle. "Oh believe me, I know," he said understandingly. "Still, it's one hell of a beast, and you wouldn't be able to take it down if you didn't have bravery at your side the entire time."

Not even taking a second to glance at the stunned expressions of the gang, Harry turned around. "You were saying, Professor?"

McGonagall nodded, clearing her throat. "Now is the time to take a moment of silence in recognition of Lucas Gottesman's sacrifice, of the bravery of the nine peers before you, and of the end of dark magic in the wizarding world."

As commanded, silence struck the Great Hall. The nine in front bowed their heads with everyone else, but Hanna looked up. Without saying a word, she reached for Emily's hand, encasing it in her own. Emily followed through, squeezing back as she reached for Aria's hand with her other. And Aria kept hold of Emily's as she squeezed Spencer's.

They had gotten through it together, just as they thought.

All was well.

* * *

**Remember when you all were yelling at me because Harry, Ron, and Hermione hadn't entered the scene yet? You can calm down now because HERE THEY ARE! I love how so much has happened with the girls and their friends and spouses, but they all have each other and that's what matters. Nothing can beat the OT4. Nothing.**

**So, next chapter you'll have the epilogue, which took me FOREVER to write because I wanted to make it perfect. But I hope you guys like it, and I hope you guys liked this chapter. And if you did like it... you guessed it... REVIEW!**


	57. Chapter 57

**Hey guys.**

**So, you guessed it. This is the last chapter of this story, and I am depressed as fuck about it. I am going to miss all of your wonderful reviews so very much, but I hope this isn't the last time we are in contact through a computer/phone/technological device screen. You all are literally nine different types of fabulous, and I could not have asked for a better group of reviewers. You went out of your way to spam me with reviews so that I could reach 1000, you read every chapter to the point that you knew it like the back of your hand, and you have grown as attached to this story as I have, and that is amazing to me. I'm going to miss the notifications from this site popping up in my email every day, but I hope that once I get back on here I'll see some familiar faces on any other stories that I might publish in the near future :)**

**And now without further adieu...**

* * *

**EPILOGUE  
****3 months later**

"Caleb, hurry up with those onions!"

Caleb turned around, flicking his head sharply sideways to remove his hair from his eyes as he brought a bowl of onions over to Hanna, who was busy stirring the sliced pork in the pan. "I didn't hear a _please_."

Hanna just rolled her eyes, even if Caleb couldn't see them from behind her. "I'm serious!" she whined. "We only have an hour until the others get here, I'm missing class for this, and it won't be worth it if the Dong Po doesn't taste as good!"

She continued to stir the pork harshly until Caleb wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Relax," he whispered in her ear.

"I am relaxed."

"You just complained about missing _class_ for this!" Caleb snorted. "Even _Spencer_ would tell you that you're wigging out right now."

Hanna slowly ceased stirring, placing the wooden spoon at the edge of the pan, as she leaned into Caleb's embrace. "I just want it to be perfect," she sighed.

"And it will be!" he reassured, disconnecting himself from her finally, but keeping hold of her hand. "_You_ just need to return to your old self for some time and have a little _fun_ with this."

He then twirled her around by the tips of her fingers. She squealed, but he then stopped twirling her to hold onto both of her hands, salsa-ing back and forth, even if no music was playing.

"Caleb, the pork is going to burn!"

He just laughed, taking this as his cue to dip her. As he held her a mere foot off of the ground, he got right in her face. "Let it burn, then," he said softly, _sexily_. "It still won't be as hot as you are."

Hanna gawked, and Caleb let out another giggle as he sprung her back up into an upright position. He then stood before her, not taking his eyes off of her as he reached over for the pan, stirring the pork with the wooden spoon as he remained entirely focused on the object of his affections before him.

Finally, Hanna cracked a smile. "I love you, Caleb," she said through her sparkling grin as she stood on her toes to kiss him. He leaned into the kiss, caressing her hair with one hand and stirring the pork with the other.

Yeah. He could get used to this.

* * *

"I don't think I can apologize enough for you not getting credit back in January," Aria said sympathetically as she grabbed a stack of plates and started carrying them over to the table.

Ezra shrugged as he followed her with silverware. "It doesn't bother me."

"Well it bothers _me_!" Aria pouted. "I mean, you saved my _life!_"

"Aria, if I had gotten credit then people would've found out about us. Besides, I hardly even _did_ anything. Anyone could've carried you out into the car - "

"But it was you!"

"Why are you bringing this up now?" he said with a laugh. Aria simply shrugged as she put the plates down on the table.

"Being together with everyone... it just reminds me of everything that happened back there."

Ezra's grin fell at Aria's words, and his eyes drifted downward to the bandage on Aria's arm. He placed the silverware down and opened his arms wide to wrap her in a tight hug, and she silently buried her face into his robes.

"That's all over now," he whispered into her hair. "Don't think of all of the bad that happened; think of the _bravery_ you showed when you saved me and everyone else from _drowning_ back at the shore."

Aria released herself from Ezra's embrace finally to look up at him. The worry in her face from before was immediately replaced with the usual snark that she carried in her expression. "I did, didn't I?"

Ezra laughed at her transition. "See, this is why I don't care about getting recognized."

"Why?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Because everything that I could ever want in life... is standing right in front of me."

Aria beamed at this as she leaned in to hug him again, and he silently kissed her hair.

In the background, Toby rolled his eyes. "Can you lovebirds stay apart for one second and help me set the rest of this table?"

"Is the table all set, guys?" Spencer asked, interrupting the previous interaction and walking into the room with goblets for everyone.

"Almost," Aria claimed, disconnecting from Ezra and placing the last plate down on the mahogany dining table. She then stood aside for Toby to place down a napkin and Ezra to place down his final fork. "We're just waiting for the others."

Spencer looked at her watch. "Paige and Emily are still at Quidditch practice," she said. "But Hanna and Caleb should be here any minute with the food."

Just as she said this, the sound of a door opening was heard. "Looking for us?" Caleb said with a smirk, leaning into the doorway with his hand still on the knob. Hanna rolled her eyes playfully as she walked through the doorway with a large covered plate in her arms, Caleb holding the door for her.

"I'm surprised you guys found it so quickly," Toby said from the table behind. "It took me ages!"

"Yeah, well the Room can tell when you're starving," Caleb joked as he walked over to the table.

The gang had all been wanting to get together in private for a long time, so they finally decided the Room of Requirement would be the perfect place to do that. There was some hesitancy toward this as it brought up bad memories for the girls, Hanna and Aria especially, but they were eventually able to assure themselves that they were not in that same room. There were no bookshelves, no crystal ball for Melissa to watch the girls' every move, no smashed mirror in the back, and there were no blood stains or scratches on the floor from where Aria and Hanna had been tortured. Instead, they were in a much smaller room that was dimly lit with candles and had a long table in it. That table was now perfectly set since Spencer added the goblets to it, and all they had to do now was wait for Paige and Emily to come in so that they could enjoy a wonderful feast, sans any interruption from any of the other students and staff at the school.

"Sorry we're late," Hanna apologized as she placed the food on the table. She then stood up and reached for Caleb's hand, a cheeky smile on her face. "We were having a little too much _fun _in the kitchen, so we weren't as conscientious of time."

At this, Spencer rolled her eyes. "_No_, Hanna, you mean - " But then she stopped, pondering over this. "That was actually... grammatically correct."

Hanna simply stuck out her tongue. "Well don't sound so surprised! I know _some_ things!"

As Hanna said this, she got a few expectant stares, waiting for her to fess up. Finally, something unexpected happened; her smile faded and she let go of Caleb's hand.

"I, uh..." she began, "I remembered this one time Lucas was tutoring me, and... and he taught that word to me."

The room suddenly fell silent. It had been three months, but Hanna still hadn't stopped grieving over Lucas's death, especially since he was the last person to deserve it. She knew that he betrayed her, but that didn't diminish all of the times he was there for her, or how fiercely loyal he was to her and how much he cared about her.

She wished she had realized this earlier and had appreciated him more when he was alive. Maybe she could have let him know how happy she was to have him in her life.

Maybe she could've stopped this from happening.

Immediately, Aria and Spencer leaped forward to Hanna's side, encasing her in a hug. Caleb stepped back, understanding that the girls needed this time to themselves.

"Hanna," Aria began, "you know he would be so proud of you, right?"

Hanna weakly nodded her head as she rested her head on Aria's shoulder, a tear escaping her eye. "Yeah, I know."

"And you know how proud _we_ are of you, too, right?" Spencer added on, pulling back to stare at her intensely in a way only Spencer could.

Finally, Hanna managed to crack a smile. She just couldn't resist while Spencer was pestering her for a smile with her "Hastings-face" and Aria was looking at her with her irrefutable bright eyes. She gave both girls one last hug, squeezing them as tightly as possible. "Yeah, I know that, too. Now both of you get off of me so we can get this feast started!"

"We need to wait for Emily and Paige, though!" Toby pointed out from behind.

Just as he said this, the door opened again, and in walked Paige and Emily, still in their Quidditch robes.

"Sorry we couldn't be in better attire," Emily apologized as she walked through. "We didn't want to be late, and we kind of had to sneak off."

"Never even knew she had it in her," Paige said proudly as she closed the door behind her. Everyone rejoiced as they sat down, hungrily reaching for the Dong Po in the center of the table and putting it on their plates. They had to lay off of dinner before to get their appetites ready for this meal, and they were all ready to dig in.

"I take it Quidditch practice went well?" Aria asked in between bites of her vegetables (she had to turn down the pork, of course, and only went for the side dish of vegetables Hanna and Caleb had prepared as well). Emily nodded her head as she put her fork down.

"I think it's finally starting to turn back into the sport that I fell in love with," she said happily as she reached under the table to grab Paige's hand.

"Gee, can't think of why," Hanna said sarcastically. Everyone doubled over in laughter at this; Emily shot a dirty look across the table at Hanna at first, but finally cracked a smile, agreeing that this was a funny comment indeed.

"Whatever, Hanna," Paige joked. "We're going to _crush_ Hufflepuff at tomorrow's game!"

"As if!" Hanna argued. "You guys may be undefeated, but I _know_ we're going to make a comeback tomorrow."

"Hanna, you don't even like Quidditch," Aria pointed out bluntly, only to earn an appalled look from Hanna.

"I used to pay _very_ close attention during those matches!" she said defensively.

"What made you stop?"

"I only watched it for Sean back when we were dating," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "He looked _damn_ good in those robes."

At this, Caleb nearly choked on his cooked vegetables. "Umm, _hello_?"

"I said _used to_, didn't I?" Hanna pointed out, and then added a wink at the end. "If you're that bent-out-of-shape about it, go put on some Quidditch robes and see what I do to you."

Caleb pondered this, and then decided this seemed reasonable as he lovingly put his arm around Hanna's shoulders.

"Whatever, we're winning," Paige said conclusively. "After all, we have a _scouted player_ on our team."

Everyone gasped, and Emily bowed her head blushing. Toby took note of this, and his eyes widened. "Emily..."

Finally, Emily sighed and looked up, her complexion glowing with excitement. "It's true," she said. "I got a letter today from the coach of the Holyhead Harpies saying he wants me to come to the tryouts for the winter season."

Everyone around the table burst into an exclamation of excitement and congratulations. "And the best part is she got the letter at the beginning of practice," Paige added in. "If you guys could've _seen_ the look on Lily Potter's face..."

"What does she care?" Emily said, brushing off the comment by swatting her hand through the air. "Her mother was on the team for a few years. I looked it up. Once she's a seventh year, _she'll_ probably be scouted as well."

"How are things between you two?" Spencer asked incongruently. "Better?"

Emily shrugged. "Better than how they are with Maya... she hasn't talked to me since I, um, cut things off?"

Silence reached the gang, an awkward tension rising in the air, but Emily broke it once she broke out into a smile. "I didn't say I was upset over it!" she pointed out as she wrapped her arm around Paige's shoulders. "I've got all I need right here."

Paige grinned cheekily as Emily placed her head onto her shoulder, and the pair burst into giggles finally. Toby laughed, too, before putting his fork down on his plate.

"I have some news, too."

Everyone sat up, immediately attentive. Toby took a deep breath. "I got a job."

Everyone beamed. "That's so exciting!" Ezra claimed, as Toby sat back in his chair, satisfied.

"I've been in contact with guy in Wales who builds houses for wizards," he explained, "and he offered me a job building burrows with him and a bunch of other workers once I get out of school! And they provide shelter and food and everything for you!"

"So you can finally escape your horrible family?" Hanna asked bluntly as she shoved a mouthful of pork into her mouth. Caleb nudged Hanna, claiming this was slightly rude, but Toby gestured with his hands that this wasn't necessary.

"I can," he said happily, before reaching for Spencer's hands, encasing them in his own on the tabletop. "And Spencer can, too."

At this, everyone froze. Spencer, who had been silent ever since Toby started talking, finally raised her head. "It's true."

"Spencer, what are you talking about?" Aria asked. Something about this didn't seem right.

Spencer lowered her head, nervously pushing a hair back behind her ear. "Well, I got a letter from my parents the other day... they kicked me out of the house."

Everyone gasped, but their gasps were not filled with joy the way they were for Emily and Toby. Spencer just shrugged sadly. "I guess they figured they needed a more extreme punishment than grounding me for two weeks for... you know... killing my sister."

"But that's horrible!" Aria exclaimed. "Don't they know that your sister was a psychopath?"

"Of course they do," Spencer said indifferently. "But of course they took her side again." At this, she even started laughing. "They even take her side when she's no longer living... please tell me how that works?"

"Spence, I'm so sorry," Emily whispered, and Hanna nodded her head in agreement.

But Spencer's sadness had immediately transformed to near glee after everyone had said their condolences. "Haven't you been listening?" she said quizzically. "I'm out of the house, Toby is getting a _new_ house..."

Immediately Aria made the connection, shooting out of her chair. "You two are moving in together?!"

Toby and Spencer threw their hands up in the air, rejoicing at the fact that someone had figured it out. Everyone cheered at this, too, and Toby took Spencer's hand and delivered a kiss to it as a way of celebration.

Hanna then turned to Caleb. "I guess this is an appropriate time to tell _you_ some news, then."

Caleb was startled by this. "What news?"

"Well," she began excitedly. "I got a letter from my _mother_ the other day..."

"And?" Caleb said, in completely suspense as he brought his goblet of pumpkin juice to his lips.

Hanna couldn't stop smiling. "And she said that once the school year is over, you can move in with us."

Caleb immediately spit out his pumpkin juice all over the table. Ignoring the mess he made, he turned to Hanna. "Are you serious?!"

"Do I ever kid?" she said bluntly. He opened his mouth to counter this, but she stopped him. "Don't be a smartass. Just hug me."

A laugh of complete awe and excitement escaped Caleb's lips as he wrapped his arms around Hanna in a big hug. Finally, after 17 years of living with his horrible aunt and uncle, he would get to live with the love of his life. He could actually _enjoy_ being away from Hogwarts.

"I love you so much," he whispered into her blonde locks, and anyone watching could tell that he meant it.

After watching this exchange take place, Aria turned to Ezra. "So everyone has good news to share but us?"

"Pretty much," Ezra said with a curt head nod as he draped his arm around Aria's shoulders. "Although, there is one thing..."

Aria turned to him suspiciously. "What..."

He then turned to her, placing his hands on both of her shoulders. "It's time."

"Time?"

"I want to meet your parents," he said determinedly. "And I want them to meet me."

"Are you sure we're ready?"

He nodded his head rapidly. "I've never been so ready for anything in my life."

"But... when they find out - "

"They don't need to find out," Ezra interrupted. "We can tell them much later, but for now we can just push that part off because... I'm leaving Hogwarts."

"_WHAT?_"

This exclamation didn't just come from Aria; it came from everyone around the table. Ezra bowed his head.

"I don't want to work here anymore and be reminded every day of what happened within these walls," he explained gruffly. "I want to move on from it, like the rest of you. I'll get a job elsewhere, but right now..." He then turned back to Aria. "I want to work on making a life with you. I can go back to working at Honeydukes the way I did when we first started dating! We can make it work, I promise - "

"Okay."

Ezra froze, midsentence. "What?"

"I said okay," Aria said with a genuine smile. "You can meet my parents, you can leave Hogwarts, you can spend your life with me. Let's do it!"

Ezra's face lit up like a Christmas tree as he hugged Aria, feeling happier than he had in a long, long time. For the rest of the meal, everyone cuddled up to their significant others, making conversation with everyone else as they praised Hanna and Caleb's excellent cooking.

Once everyone had finished, Caleb took this as his cue to stand up. "Alright gentlemen... and Paige," he added, noticing Paige's raised eyebrow. "I think it's time."

"Time?" Hanna questioned, looking up at Hanna. "Time for what?"

He just gave her a knowing smile as he took her hand, helping her to stand up. "There's a reason we needed to practice our dance moves in the kitchen earlier."

Hanna's eyes widened as Caleb pulled her out of her chair, and Paige, Toby, and Ezra pulled their girlfriends out of their chairs as well. They brought them to the back of the room, and as they did so Ezra pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a small muggle radio.

Aria looked up at Ezra curiously. "What's going on?"

He just shook his head as he turned the knob on the radio, and immediately coming out of it was the first verse to _Georgia on my Mind_ by Ray Charles.

_Georgia, Georgia  
__The whole day through  
__Just an old sweet song  
__Keeps Georgia on my mind_

Ezra then turned around to Aria, looking positively smitten. "It's about time we had our first dance, isn't it?"

At this, Aria couldn't take it. She broke out into the biggest smile that she had all night, remembering the agreement they made the night of the Halloween Ball, as she ran up to Ezra and kissed him. Hard. Ezra then reached down for her small waist, still not disconnecting from her lips, as he swayed her back and forth to the music. Taking heed from Ezra, Caleb turned to Hanna, raising his eyebrows eagerly as he took her hand, leading her onto the dance floor. Toby did the same, draping his arm around Spencer's shoulder as he led her on, and Paige didn't even wait; she put her hands on Emily's shoulders, touched her forehead to hers, and immediately started moving along to the music as she leaned in to kiss Emily passionately.

Spencer rested her head on Toby's shoulder, feeling completely at home. "Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be dancing with a Gryffindor."

Toby just laughed as he wrapped his arms tighter around Spencer. "Never thought I'd see the day where I'd be dating the girl who saved the entire wizarding world."

Spencer then raised her head. "Everything about this is completely unexpected, isn't it?"

Toby nodded his head, in completely agreement. Spencer never expected that she would sway from meeting her parents' expectations, busting her ass in school, and doing everything she could to determine that her future would be perfect, that everything would be perfect. Now, perfection didn't matter. She didn't know what she was doing after Hogwarts, where she was going, or how successful she would be.

None of that mattered.

All she needed right now was right in front of her: Toby, and her four best friends. The four girls that she trusted with her life.

Her four sisters.

They were her family, and with them Spencer knew that she could move on from all of this. She would leave Hogwarts behind on a good note, knowing that while it was home to one of the most traumatic years of her life, it was also home to friendships that would last a lifetime; partnerships that would last a lifetime.

And keeping that in mind, Spencer rested her head back on Toby's shoulder, taking in the dimly lit room and each of her friends moving along to the music with their spouses as Ray Charles belted the rest of the song. Finally, she was happy. Really, truly happy.

She knew it. She going to be just fine.

They were all going to be just fine.

_Other arms reach out to me_  
_Other eyes smile tenderly_  
_Still in peaceful dreams I see_  
_The road leads back to you_

_Oh Georgia, Georgia_  
_No peace I find_  
_Just an old, sweet song_  
_Keeps Georgia on my mind_

**_~Fin~_**

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**Hold on, though, because if my guess is correct I published two chapters today. Why could that be? Well if you would click the next button...**


	58. Chapter 58

**Surprise! So if you're reading this right now, you clicked the next button, and so now I present my reward to you all for getting this story to where it now is (and you thought I forgot ;)) So now, I present to you a teaser to my upcoming story: _So Cold._**

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_Screw it, I'm calling him_, Aria finally thought to herself, whipping her phone out of her pocket faster than lightning. She knew the last thing she should be doing was calling Ezra; she should've just deleted his number from her phone when she had the chance. If Jake found out, he would...

Well, now that she thought about it, she wasn't too sure he'd do anything. Jake was one of the sweetest, most understanding guys she'd ever been with, and she always had such a great time with him whenever they were together.

But she would never love him. Simply because he wasn't who she wanted him to be.

He wasn't Ezra.

Aria's fingers hovered over the speed dial button for Ezra's number as she tried to work out a list of excuses in her head. Just because they were broken up didn't mean they couldn't be _friends._ And after everything that he had been through with Malcolm, he would need someone by his side. He would need her... wouldn't he?

_I'll just call to check up on things and make sure he's okay,_ she said internally as she hastily dialed his number and pressed the phone to her ear.

It rang once. It rang twice. It rang three times. Aria could feel her heart pounding against her chest, begging to be set free. This was it. She couldn't wait to hear his sweet, soothing voice, could wait to hear the uptick it had whenever he simply said "Hello?". She couldn't wait...

"_Hi, you've reached Ezra. I can't get to the - _"

Aria didn't even wait for it to finish. She slammed the _End Call_ button and threw her phone onto the bed as she dramatically leaned back into her chair, letting out a shaky breath as she willed herself not to cry.

Maybe he didn't need her after all.

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Ezra shuffled down the street, keeping his chin tucked into his chest as he wrapped his black hoodie tighter around his gangly frame, trying to block out the cold air. He had seen her. He _knew_ he had.

Ezra knew that there were a million other things that he should be doing at this moment. For one, he should be watching the girls since no one else could do the job due to being booked with school stuff. Hell, he should even be grading _papers_, if anything! But once he had caught sight of her, everything else in his life was put on hold. She was his number one priority, and he had to find her.

He rounded a corner, his hands tucked into his pockets as he did so. He was right across the street from the Apple Rose Grill, and was just about to cross the street when something caught his eye, and he immediately cowered behind a pillar to avoid getting caught.

Right outside of the restaurant, splitting a grilled cheese sandwich, was Spencer and Toby. Spencer was laughing as she took a napkin and dabbed a few crumbs on the corners of Toby's lips, while Toby just smiled, admiring what a dork his girlfriend was. Ezra rolled his eyes. _Cheeky little bastard_, he thought to himself.

But then something _else_ - _someone_ else - caught his eye, and he was attentive once again.

It was her. It was really her. Ezra couldn't believe it.

With a shaking hand, Ezra reached into his pocket, retrieving something long, sharp, and silver.

A pocket knife.

He had to be careful now. Wait for the perfect moment. Wait until she ran off, far away. Then he would follow her. Then he would...

Suddenly, Ezra jumped two feet in the air, jolted to life by something vibrating in his jacket pocket.

"Shit!" he whispered, digging his hand through the hoodie until he retrieved his phone, but when he looked up again, she was gone. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of where she went.

_Dammit,_ he thought angrily, kicking the nearest wall in fury as he pressed the home screen. _Whoever is calling is going to..._

He never even got a chance to finish that thought, for his mind went blank the minute he saw the caller.

Four simple letters glared across his screen. Four simple letters that made his heart stop.

_Aria._

Ezra froze, each of his limbs going numb. He couldn't even remember the last time Aria had called him. Why was she calling now?

But then again, why did he care?

His phone kept buzzing, but he couldn't find it in him to answer. He couldn't even find it in him to press _Ignore_! All he could do was stare at the screen in awe, wondering when his lungs would work again and his breathing would return to normal.

Even when the screen went black, even when he got clarification from the _One Missed Call _banner flashing across the screen that she was gone, Ezra was still rendered speechless.

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**Intrigued? Let me know in the reviews! See you all next time ;)**


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